Unidentified thief hits six eating clubs

Members' wallets were stolen at six eating clubs Monday afternoon and credit cards from the stolen wallets were subsequently used to make purchases at nearby stores.

Wallets were stolen from backpacks and handbags at Cap & Gown, Ivy, Quadrangle, Terrace, Tiger Inn and Tower at lunchtime on Monday. Public Safety deputy director Charles Davall reported that thefts from two clubs occurred between noon and 1 p.m. in an email sent to all undergraduates Tuesday afternoon. It was later confirmed that there were thefts at four other clubs.

"I've never heard of incidents such as this one happening at Ivy before," Ivy president Alex Van Hoek '08 said in an email.

"The eating club presidents have been in touch with each other, and Public Safety, since Monday evening, when we realized that these incidents were not isolated to just one eating club," Van Hoek said.

"We've been in contact with the Borough Police, who are aware of the details and are investigating."

Borough Police Lieutenant David Dudeck did not return repeated calls from The Daily Princetonian.

Terrace president Max Miller '08 alerted his club's members to the incident in an email yesterday afternoon in which he said charges had been made on stolen credit cards at Best Buy, Wal-Mart and other local stores.

"Until this issue is resolved, I would advise you all to keep your valuables near you at all times, and to please be aware of any suspicious characters who may be snooping around," Miller said in the email.

Interclub Council (ICC) president Will Scharf '08 said that while he didn't know how many thefts there were at the clubs, "even a single instance is far too often for my comfort." Scharf said he did not know how each of the clubs involved was dealing with the crime.

ICC graduate adviser Tim Prugar '06 said that the stolen items included a number of wallets and an international identification card.

Prugar noted that theft is not uncommon on the Street. "I think thefts do happen on Prospect fairly frequently, often with people grabbing the wrong coat at night," he said, adding that Monday's incidents are "the first I can remember in five years of a daytime theft, or certainly [one] on this scale."

"The [club] presidents think this is a pretty bad situation and are working in tandem with Borough Police and Public Safety," Prugar said. "They are still in the fact-finding and catching-the-culprit stage rather than the preventing-this-from-happening-again stage."

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Tiger Inn president Chris Merrick '08 said in an email that while club presidents were working together in the aftermath of the thefts, the crimes could not have been prevented. "I don't think any amount of extra inter-club communication could have prevented this from happening as the thief appears to have struck in such a short time span that most of the damage was done before anyone realized it," he said.

Van Hoek also said that while the safety of both people and their belongings in the clubs is a high priority, the number of guests who visit the clubs every day makes completely securing the premises a challenge.

"We have measures in place to protect our members and guests, and to minimize the risk of theft within the club," Van Hoek said. "However, with hundreds of members, guests and friends moving throughout the club every day, it's difficult to completely eliminate the risk of a stranger sneaking in and stealing something, especially at meal times."

Prugar also advised students to "watch out for suspicious behavior and keep their things close at hand" while at the clubs.