Masked Individual Attempts to Break Into Off-Campus House

A masked individual attempted to break into an off-campus house on Kirkwood Rd. on Thursday night at around 10:15 p.m., according to a Boston College Police Department (BCPD) bulletin. 

“The victim reported that an unidentified male, thin build, approximately 6 foot tall, wearing a white REI zip-up rain hoodie, light-colored cloth mask and black gloves had attempted to gain access into the residence on two different occasions this date,” the bulletin reads.

The bulletin states that both BCPD and the Boston Police Department responded to the incident. The suspect was observed leaving the area in what appeared to be a dark-colored Jeep Wrangler or a similar vehicle. 

For students like Tierney Wold, MCAS ’24, living close to the house where the attempted break-in occured is nerve-wracking.

“I don’t live in the house that had the attempted break-in,” Wold said. “I live three doors down from it, and I know a couple of people in there vaguely, so that was kind of scary because like they are people that I know of, and it seemed very real.”

After the incident, BCPD reminded students to lock their doors and windows, avoid leaving valuables in plain sight from windows, be aware of their surroundings and get to know their neighbors, and report any suspicious activity or individuals to the police immediately. 

Wold said that the attempted break-in made her more aware of the safety measures she takes to protect her house.

“I think it kind of puts into perspective like the daily things that I don’t do that kind of like keep the house safe,” Wold said. “You know, like I leave the window open and just like little things that you don’t think like make a difference, but in a situation like that, things can go very wrong. So I think it’s kind of just like a nice wake up call.”

The Office of Off-Campus Student Living sent a follow-up email requesting students who live off campus with cameras monitoring their property—like Ring doorbell cameras—review their footage from Thursday night. 

“In your review, if you find any suspicious activity captured on video that may be related to the attempted residential burglary on Kirkwood Road in Brighton, please provide it to the Boston Police Department, District 14,” the email reads.

BCPD was patrolling during the night of the incident to make sure off-campus students were safe, according to Wold.

“I think that BCPD did a wonderful job that night,” Wold said. “They were very, very present. I think that made a lot of people, myself included, feel a lot safer that night.”

Students are having varied reactions to the attempted break-in, Wold concluded.

“I think it’s been affecting people differently,” Wold said. “I know a lot of people who didn’t react to it at all and some people are extremely freaked out. And I think that just depends on the individual person, but I think it’s kind of made everyone a lot more wary of the protection of their homes.”

Update (10/14/2022. 9:34 p.m.): This article was updated to include the interview with Tierney Wold.