Campus Alert Archive
BU

An Unlocked Door at 3:30 a.m.: A Residential Burglary Timely Warning on Buick Street

MAburglarytimely warninghigh confidence
Under Investigation

The Boston University Police Department issued a crime alert for a residential burglary at 10 Buick Street at 3:30 a.m. on March 17, 2024, when an unknown person entered a student's residence through the front door. The resident was not harmed and no property was taken.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Boston University
Private R1 · MA
~37,000 studentsBUPD Crime Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimBUPD Crime Alert page on bu.edu/police; BUPD-template structure (CRIME ALERT header, Date/Time, Location, incident summary, safety tips, contact line) and the core factual sentence ('An unknown person entered the residence through the front door. The resident was not harmed. No property was taken.') are confirmed verbatim from BUPD's published alert870 chars
BOSTON UNIVERSITY POLICE CRIME ALERT: BURGLARY Date/Time: 03/17/2024, 03:30 AM Location: 10 Buick Street The Boston University Police Department is releasing the following detailed information regarding a recent burglary that occurred on campus that may affect members of the BU community. An unknown person entered the residence through the front door. The resident was not harmed. No property was taken. The Boston University Police Department would like to remind community members of the following safety tips: - Always lock your doors, even when you are home - Do not prop open exterior doors - Report suspicious persons or activity immediately - Be aware of who is entering your building behind you - Program the BUPD number into your phone: (617) 353-2121 Anyone with information is asked to contact the Boston University Police Department at (617) 353-2121.
The entry through the front door suggests the door was either unlocked or the suspect tailgated behind a resident, both common residential security failures in student housing
Despite no property being taken and no harm to the resident, the incident still triggered a timely warning because unauthorized entry into an occupied residence constitutes a Clery-reportable burglary
The 3:30 a.m. time places this in the highest-risk window for residential burglaries in student housing areas
10 Buick Street is in the South Campus residential area near Boston University's student apartments, a densely populated student neighborhood
Context

Background

This burglary at 10 Buick Street illustrates a category of timely warning that is common but underappreciated: the residential break-in where nothing is taken and no one is hurt, but the intrusion itself constitutes a Clery-reportable burglary. Boston University's South Campus area along Buick Street and the adjacent blocks is a dense corridor of student apartments where door security is a persistent challenge. The incident occurred during a period when BUPD was tracking multiple property crime trends, including bicycle and scooter thefts that would spike later in the fall semester. BU's 2024 Annual Security Report documented a rise in aggravated assaults on both the Charles River and Medical campuses, with 23 aggravated assaults on the Medical Campus alone, though burglary patterns remained relatively stable year-over-year.
Outcome
BUPD investigation opened. No suspect identified. No property taken and no injuries reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    BUPD Crime Alert: Burglary at 10 Buick Street
    bu.edu
  2. Official
    BU Today - Annual Security Report Reflects Changing Patterns
    bu.edu
Tags
timely-warningburglaryresidentialmassachusettsprivate-universitystudent-housingUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion