{
  "id": "2023-09-13-cornell-university-north-campus-arson-series",
  "slug": "cornell-university-north-campus-arson-series-2023-09-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Cornell University",
    "shortName": "Cornell",
    "state": "NY",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Cornell Police Crime Alert / CornellALERT",
    "enrollment": 25000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-09-13",
    "endDate": "2023-09-26",
    "type": "arson",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "headline": "A series of small unsolved dormitory fires prompts three crime alerts in twelve days",
    "headlinePublic": "A series of small unsolved dormitory fires prompts three crime alerts in twelve days",
    "summary": "Between [September 13 and September 26, 2023](https://cornellsun.com/2023/10/17/north-campus-residents-meet-arson-incidents-with-indifference/), Cornell University Police issued three separate Crime Alert emails describing small intentional fires in [Ganędagǫ: and Mary Donlon Hall](https://www.14850.com/092633485-donlon-arson-cornell-2309/), two North Campus residence halls, including a burned light fixture in a stairwell and fire damage to a section of ceiling. No suspect was identified in any of the three incidents, and [Cornell's associate vice president for public safety urged students not to treat fire-setting as a prank](https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2023/09/27/three-arsons-in-two-weeks-at-cornell-university-some-concerned-about-whats-happening/).",
    "resolution": "under-investigation",
    "outcome": "No suspect was identified or arrested in connection with any of the three September 2023 incidents in available reporting. Cornell Police continued investigating; the university had already dealt with an earlier wave of Ganędagǫ: Hall arsons in December 2021 and March-April 2022, part of a recurring pattern of small intentional fires in Cornell's newer North Campus halls that a fourth-floor lounge fire in Ganędagǫ: extended again in November 2023.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "September 13, 2023, after a resident reported fire damage to a light fixture in Mary Donlon Hall's northeast stairwell",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "CrimeALERT: Arson - Mary Donlon Hall\n\nOn September 13, 2023, at 11:27 a.m., the Cornell University Police Department, Cornell University Environmental Health & Safety, and City of Ithaca Fire Department responded to Mary Donlon Hall for a report of a light fixture in the northeast stairwell damaged by fire.\n\nThe fire was extinguished before emergency personnel arrived. It is unknown when the fire was set, and no suspect description is available.\n\nThe incident is under investigation. Anyone with information related to this crime is asked to contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607)255-1111.\n\nThe Cornell University Police Department urges the community to protect themselves in the event of a fire by alerting those around you, then evacuating the building, closing room doors as you leave, activating the fire alarm, and moving away from the building once you exit. Immediately report any suspected criminal activity by dialing 911 or utilizing the RAVE Guardian app.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/crime-alert-public-notification-64/",
      "sourceDescription": "Cornell Police CrimeALERT Public Notification (cupolice archive via Wayback)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact full Crime Alert body from cupolice.cornell.edu public notification 64 (Wayback snapshot)",
        "Mary Donlon Hall northeast stairwell light-fixture fire, extinguished before arrival"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1008
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "September 19, 2023, after a second reported fire in a Ganędagǫ: Hall common area",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "CrimeALERT: Arson - Ganedago Hall\n\nOn September 19, 2023, at 11:40 a.m., the Cornell University Police Department and Cornell University Environmental Health & Safety responded to Ganedago Hall for a report of a sign damaged by fire in an elevator.\n\nIt is unknown when the fire occurred but the damage was first observed on August 30, 2023.  The incident is under investigation and no suspect description is available.\n\nAnyone with information related to this crime is asked to contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607) 255-1111.\n\nThe Cornell University Police Department urges the community to protect themselves in the event of a fire by alerting those around you, then evacuating the building, closing room doors as you leave, activating the fire alarm, and moving away from the building once you exit. Immediately report any suspected criminal activity by dialing 911 or utilizing the RAVE Guardian app.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/crime-alert-public-notification-66/",
      "sourceDescription": "Cornell Police CrimeALERT Public Notification (cupolice archive via Wayback)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact full Crime Alert body from cupolice.cornell.edu public notification 66 (Wayback snapshot)",
        "Ganedago Hall elevator sign fire damage first observed Aug 30, reported Sept 19"
      ],
      "characterCount": 941
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "September 26, 2023, after officers responded to Mary Donlon Hall for a third report; the ceiling damage had first been observed on September 21",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Crime ALERT: Arson – Mary Donlon Hall\n\n The Cornell University Police Department responded to Mary Donlon Hall on September 24, 2023, at 6:57 p.m., for a report of a section of ceiling in the east stairwell damaged by fire. It is unknown when the fire occurred, but the damage was first observed on September 21, 2023.\n\n No suspect description is available.  The investigation is ongoing and being handled by the Cornell University Police Department and the Cornell University Fire Marshal’s office.\n\nAnyone with information related to these crimes is asked to contact the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607)255-1111.\n\nThe Cornell University Police Department and Cornell University Fire Marshal’s office urges the community to protect themselves in the event of a fire by alerting those around you, then evacuating the building, closing room doors as you leave, activating the fire alarm, and moving away from the building once you exit. Immediately report any suspected criminal activity by dialing 911 or utilizing the RAVE Guardian app.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/crime-alert-public-notification-67/",
      "sourceDescription": "Cornell Police CrimeALERT Public Notification (cupolice archive via Wayback)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact full Crime Alert body from cupolice.cornell.edu public notification 67 (Wayback snapshot)",
        "Mary Donlon Hall east stairwell ceiling fire damage first observed Sept 21, reported Sept 24"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1068
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "North Campus Residents Meet Arson Incidents With Indifference",
      "url": "https://cornellsun.com/2023/10/17/north-campus-residents-meet-arson-incidents-with-indifference/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Third report of arson at Cornell in the space of two weeks",
      "url": "https://www.14850.com/092633485-donlon-arson-cornell-2309/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Three arsons in two weeks at Cornell University: Some concerned about what's happening",
      "url": "https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2023/09/27/three-arsons-in-two-weeks-at-cornell-university-some-concerned-about-whats-happening/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Cornell Police Crime Alerts archive",
      "url": "https://publicsafety.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Cornell Police CrimeALERT Public Notification 64",
      "url": "https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/crime-alert-public-notification-64/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Cornell Police CrimeALERT Public Notification 66",
      "url": "https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/crime-alert-public-notification-66/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Cornell Police CrimeALERT Public Notification 67",
      "url": "https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/crime-alerts/crime-alert-public-notification-67/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Cornell University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_University)'s North Campus is home to Ganędagǫ: and Mary Donlon Hall, two residence halls that experienced a recurring, unsolved pattern of small intentionally set fires across multiple academic years. In September 2023, [Cornell University Police issued three Crime Alert emails in twelve days](https://cornellsun.com/2023/10/17/north-campus-residents-meet-arson-incidents-with-indifference/): a burned stairwell light fixture in Mary Donlon Hall on September 13, a second fire in Ganędagǫ: Hall on September 19, and fire damage to a Mary Donlon stairwell ceiling, first noticed September 21 and reported September 26, that closed out the series. [14850.com's local coverage](https://www.14850.com/092633485-donlon-arson-cornell-2309/) tracked each alert as it was issued, while [Fingerlakes1.com reported](https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2023/09/27/three-arsons-in-two-weeks-at-cornell-university-some-concerned-about-whats-happening/) that Cornell's associate vice president for public safety urged students not to treat fire-setting as a harmless prank. No suspect was identified in any of the three incidents. The Cornell Daily Sun's own October follow-up found many North Campus residents had become largely indifferent to the alerts, a response the paper contrasted with the real structural and life-safety risk of unattended dormitory fires. Ganędagǫ: Hall had already weathered an earlier, separate wave of arson incidents in December 2021 and March-April 2022, and would see at least one more isolated arson report in a fourth-floor lounge that November, underscoring how a residence hall can become a recurring target for fire-setting sprees years apart.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Cornell University Police issued three separate Crime Alert emails in twelve days, September 13 to September 26, 2023, describing intentional fires in two North Campus residence halls",
    "No suspect was identified in any of the three incidents in available reporting",
    "The pattern targeted building fixtures, a stairwell light and ceiling section, rather than living spaces, but still triggered Clery Act timely-warning obligations given the continuing, unsolved threat",
    "Ganędagǫ: Hall had experienced an earlier, separate wave of arson incidents in December 2021 and March-April 2022, indicating a multi-year recurring vulnerability rather than an isolated 2023 event",
    "Student reporting found many North Campus residents had grown indifferent to the repeated alerts by the third incident, illustrating a real risk of alert fatigue in serial low-severity crime notifications"
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "arson",
    "residence-hall",
    "north-campus",
    "serial-incidents",
    "unsolved",
    "new-york",
    "private-r1",
    "ivy-league",
    "2020s",
    "crime-alert-series"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-07-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}