Police Briefs — Week of Sept. 17

We didn't start the fire On Sept. 11 at 12:44 a.m., Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) responded to a fire alarm at Hillsides Apartments. TUPD checked for the source of the fire alarm and entered a suite in which they detected a strong smoke odor. The windows were open and the suite had been evacuated due to the fire alarm, but TUPD was able to locate the residents who said they were unaware of any smoke coming from inside their suite.

Hot Jumbos in your area On Sept. 12 at 1:24 a.m., a student reported to TUPD that they were being extorted via Facebook. The student was friended and contacted online by a female they previously did not know. The two had been chatting throughout the day and when asked by the female, the student engaged in video chats and provided pictures of a sexual nature. The female then demanded that the student pay an undisclosed amount of money or she would send the videos and pictures to the student's friends. The account was reported to Facebook and the student did not capitulate to the female's demands.

Going off the grid Later that day at 10:04 p.m., TUPD responded to a car crash across the street from Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center. A university employee's vehicle had collided with fencing protecting electrical generators next to Pearson Chemistry Laboratory. TUPD enlisted the assistance of the MassElectric utility company to turn off the power grid and ensure that the generators were not damaged. There was no damage to the generators and the employee sustained no injuries, however the vehicle and the fence protecting the generator both suffered damage. Power was restored within an hour of being shut down.

Fridge today, gone tomorrow On Sept. 13 at 12:30 p.m., TUPD received a call from a student residing in Hodgdon Hall that their fridge had been taken while they were out of town. The student returned to their room to find their door unlocked, their fridge gone, and the food inside the fridge left in their room. The student received an email from the Office of Residential Life stating that MicroFridge, a microwave and refrigerator freezer combinations unit vendor, had tried to contact the student about a cancelled rental, but was unable to reach them and thus picked up the fridge from the student's unlocked room. Alternative food storage options were offered to the student, but they refused as the food had already spoiled.