Overview
- Harvard police say an unknown man entered Lowell House by following someone inside and then approached a student from behind, covered the student’s mouth and tried to force them into their room, and the victim screamed and the suspect fled.
- Officials say the Harvard incident occurred on Tuesday evening and, roughly 15 minutes later, MIT police received a report that a man matching that description had followed a resident into the Sidney‑Pacific residence hall.
- MIT released a security photo and described the suspect as a white male about 5'9" with a thin build wearing a white T‑shirt and dark shorts, and surveillance footage shows him leaving the MIT building at about 5:59 p.m.; he remains at large.
- Harvard, MIT and Cambridge police have canvassed buildings, increased patrols, issued community alerts, and urged students to keep doors closed and to report anyone who tries to 'tailgate' into residence halls.
- House deans and campus officials have offered support to residents and warned the incidents could prompt changes to building access and reporting practices, and anyone with information is asked to contact campus or city police.