2008 Woodie Awards
RSSA Lehigh student woke to find a burglar in her home on the 300 block of E. Fifth Street Saturday morning.
According to police, five female students live at the address.
A student who lives in the house, but who said she wasn't home at the time of the break-in, said one of her housemates heard someone try to open her locked bedroom door at around 6 a.m.
At around 6:45 a.m. the housemate got up to go to the bathroom, when she heard someone in the hallway.
She then saw a tall, black man who she did not know and began screaming.
At that point, the man ran out of the house.
The intruder had been in three of the students' rooms that morning, she said.
The student said when she returned to her house, she found her room rummaged through and her wallet and iPod missing.
According to police, a cell phone, camera, credit cards and $200 were stolen from the house.
Bethlehem Detective Mark DiLuzio said the break-in is not linked to the recent series of muggings on E. Fifth Street.
He said the Saturday intruder was tall, 6 foot 4 inches, and over 20 years old, unlike the muggers, who have been reported to be 15 to 18 years old and shorter in stature.
Victims of the muggings have not been able to give facial descriptions because the attackers wore sweatshirts to cover their features.
However, DiLuzio said the man who broke into the house was not wearing a hood, so the student could provide a facial description.
"The descriptions are so different," DiLuzio said.
He also said the past incidents have been robberies, while the Saturday break-in was a burglary.
DiLuzio said the police have not identified a suspect, but they are still investigating.
The victim said the burglary has given her a bad image of the South Side.
DiLuzio credits the recent rise in late night crime to the warm weather.
He said more people are out on the streets later at night, and they are forgetting they still need to practice safety precautions.
Walk with a friend, he said, lock your doors and be aware of your surroundings.
"Practice common sense," he said.
House burglarized on East Fifth Street
Police said break-in is not linked to recent
By Elaine Hardenstine
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: News
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Hugh Brennan
posted 4/11/08 @ 8:35 PM EST
I wonder if the administration and the police are waiting for the first murder or rape before they begin to take this situation seriously. Denial and avoidance of facing the harsh truths today will do little to console the bereaved in the future. (Continued…)
McGruff the Crime Dog
posted 4/13/08 @ 9:42 PM EST
The problem with having a bunch of dippy Ivory tower left-wingers running our university is that however concerned they may be for the well-being of students it is undoubtedly mixed with a whole lot of identifying with the perpetrators jive. (Continued…)
Martha Stewart
posted 4/17/08 @ 4:37 PM EST
Why doesn't Lehigh administration take a page from the University of Pennsylvania play book and work with the community to actually design as well as partner in financing an urban renewal plan for South Bethlehem. (Continued…)
daniel
posted 4/18/08 @ 5:51 PM EST
I am willing to say that the Lehigh Administration does not actually intend to take the necessary steps to prevent these situations from occurring. The issue stems from a greater societal trend of responded to events, as opposed to working towards preventing them. (Continued…)
Amy
posted 4/19/08 @ 11:20 PM EST
I agree with the comment about waiting for the first murder or rape before the situation is taken seriously. The shooting last summer of Michael Ritter was easy to push under the rug since the bullet ONLY grazed his head and happened off-campus when school was not in session. (Continued…)
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