Student suspected in Forbes burglary

An unidentified male who police believe to be a Princeton University student allegedly entered a Forbes College resident's room early Friday morning, Borough Police Capt. Charles Davall said yesterday.

Davall said the suspect, if apprehended, would likely be charged with burglary.

Public Safety Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser, however, said the suspect could face additional charges in connection with the alleged incident. He declined to elaborate on what specific charges may be filed while the investigation remains open.

"The burglary is just one of the potential charges in the case. There are other crimes that may have been committed in the room," Weiser said.

The suspect, described by police as a black male, about 20 years old, allegedly entered the Forbes dorm room at about 4 a.m., police said.

There were no signs of forced entry at the scene and nothing appears to have been taken. Police believe the door to the room was unlocked at the time of the alleged incident, Davall said.

The resident of the room, an 18-year-old University student, was intoxicated and unconscious at the time of the incident, according to Weiser.

Police would not release the victim's name.

The victim's boyfriend, who was asleep in the room, awoke and observed the alleged perpetrator, Weiser said.

When he was confronted by the boyfriend, the suspect fled the room, according to police reports.

According to Davall, the boyfriend believed he recognized the suspect. Police have used information from the boyfriend as a key lead in their investigation.

"We are looking at a certain person" in this investigation, Davall said.

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All three persons allegedly involved are believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, according to Weiser.

According to Davall, police will likely take action this morning, and that action could result in an arrest. "I'm hoping to wrap this up tomorrow morning," Davall said last night.

Davall also said police are investigating evidence collected in connection with the incident, but he would not discuss what type of evidence was being examined.

After the alleged illegal entry was reported, Public Safety officials posted campus alert fliers and sent a campus-wide e-mail the next evening. The e-mail and fliers, however, did not describe the incident in detail, Weiser said.

"It was designed [to be vague]," he said, adding that though maintaining the integrity of the ongoing investigation is important, Public Safety is primarily concerned with the safety of University students.

"We considered the event carefully and there wasn't any perceived threat to students," Weiser said. "Based on that, [Borough Police] wanted us to keep as much about the investigation as we could in law enforcement's hands."