NYU students startled by rash from intruders in NYC dormitories

Brazen intruders have repeatedly slipped past security in New York University’s dormitories – and in one instance sneaked into a student’s room and watched her sleep.

On November 20, an intruder jumped over a turnstile in front of a security guard and pursued 20-year-old junior Khafira Freeman, who tried unsuccessfully to hide from the stalker in the building’s laundry room before fleeing to her own room.

Earlier this week, a stranger entered a freshman’s dorm while she slept but evaded an eight-hour manhunt by security forces, the student-run Washington Square News reported. Another person managed to sneak into two separate dormitories on November 1, the newspaper noted. Students were not harmed in any of the incidents.

“Now I’m in this little group of sorts of victims,” ​​Freeman told the Post, adding that she started therapy after their horrifying encounter. “It’s like, okay, how many before something [serious] happens?”

Police and campus security records show reports of trespassing on dormitories on at least four occasions in November.

Students must tap ID at turnstiles to enter their halls of residence, or can have their IDs scanned by a security guard and show their Covid compliance pass to be let through. WSN noted that in one instance, an intruder may have entered the building through a loading dock.

“I almost feel safer not living in a dorm,” said Ishi Gupta, a 21-year-old senior who now lives in an off-campus apartment. “NYU students pay so much tuition and the dormitories are so expensive, and not feeling safe in them is kind of unacceptable.”

Annual tuition and housing at NYU totals a whopping $78,440.

“I wish NYU would give us more protocol when people break in,” said freshman Alexis Bardy, 18, similar to how they have safety procedures with fires. She said she was “moderately scared” in October when an outsider managed to follow her and her roommate to their floor.

NYU spokesman John Beckman said that University President Andrew Hamilton has ordered a review of dorm security protocols in light of the recent spike in intruders.

“These are our students’ homes and our aim is for the students to feel safe and secure in them,” he said.