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Columbia

Burglaries at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
NYburglarytimely warninghigh confidence
Under Investigation

Columbia Public Safety issued Clery Crime Alert 2025-W27.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Columbia University
Private R1 · NY
All Columbia cases →
~33,000 studentsColumbia Public Safety Clery Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how Columbia says it will use Emergency Notification System: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim2496 chars
Clery Crime Alert Burglaries Columbia University Public Safety was informed of three burglaries that may have been committed by the same person. The first two burglaries occurred at 549 Riverside Drive: one on Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m. and the other on Saturday, September 27, at around 4:59 p.m. The third burglary occurred on Saturday, September 27, at around 5:00 p.m. at 195 Claremont Avenue which is adjoined to 549 Riverside Drive. On each occasion, the suspect entered the building by piggybacking behind residents. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 212-854-2797. Description of Reported Offender: The suspect was observed on CCTV cameras, as male-presenting, with a dark complexion, and a thin build. On September 22 they wore a gray coat, a black tee shirt with white graphics, a black, gray and white camouflage pair of pants and white sneakers. On September 27 they wore a white tee shirt, gray pants and black sneakers. No other information is available at this time. Harm Reduction Strategies: When safe and if possible, do not allow others to piggyback behind you when you are entering your apartment building. If you do not feel safe stopping a person from piggybacking behind you, you can always call Public Safety (212-854-2797) once you are in a safe location. Many mail carriers (UPS, Fed Ex) have offices where you can drop-off and pick-up your packages safely. You can also arrange delivery to partnered local businesses, like pharmacies. When possible, arrange for packages to be delivered when you or someone else is available to receive them. Make sure the doors lock behind you every time to enter or exit a building. Stay informed about delivery statuses and estimated arrival times and try to retrieve your package in a timely manner. DISCLAIMER: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Columbia University is required to alert the campus community when certain crimes occur in our Clery Act defined campuses that represent a serious or continuous threat to the community. To see this and other Clery Crime Alerts please visit our Public Safety website. For more information about Columbia University’s Clery Act compliance efforts, please contact the Department’s Clery Act Compliance Director, Roberto A. Pineda Sanchez at ps-compliance@columbia.edu.
PDF text layer ligatures normalized to ASCII. sha256 e39c087b411a05e5b2b82a17c5e6855e3e8308b51087b1eae5d2bf97b429c686. Dual-fetch PDF bytes as packaged.
Columbia Clery 2025-W27 flyer.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, SuperGrok Heavy 4.5 (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Clery Crime Alert Burglaries Columbia University Public Safety was informed of three burglaries that may have been committed by the same person. The first two burglaries occurred at 549 Riverside Drive: one on Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m. and the other on Saturday, September 27, at around 4:59 p.m. The third burglary occurred on Saturday, September 27, at around 5:00 p.m. at 195 Claremont Avenue which is adjoined to 549 Riverside Drive. On each occasion, the suspect entered the building by piggybacking behind residents. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 212-854-2797. Description of Reported Offender: The suspect was observed on CCTV cameras, as male-presenting, with a dark complexion, and a thin build. On September 22 they wore a gray coat, a black tee shirt with white graphics, a black, gray and white camouflage pair of pants and white sneakers. On September 27 they wore a white tee shirt, gray pants and black sneakers. No other information is available at this time. Harm Reduction Strategies: When safe and if possible, do not allow others to piggyback behind you when you are entering your apartment building. If you do not feel safe stopping a person from piggybacking behind you, you can always call Public Safety (212-854-2797) once you are in a safe location. Many mail carriers (UPS, Fed Ex) have offices where you can drop-off and pick-up your packages safely. You can also arrange delivery to partnered local businesses, like pharmacies. When possible, arrange for packages to be delivered when you or someone else is available to receive them. Make sure the doors lock behind you every time to enter or exit a building. Stay informed about delivery statuses and estimated arrival times and try to retrieve your package in a timely manner. DISCLAIMER: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Columbia University is required to alert the campus community when certain crimes occur in our Clery Act defined campuses that represent a serious or continuous threat to the community. To see this and other Clery Crime Alerts please visit our Public Safety website. For more information about Columbia University’s Clery Act compliance efforts, please contact the Department’s Clery Act Compliance Director, Roberto A. Pineda Sanchez at ps-compliance@columbia.edu.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads find Source present: the Clery Crime Alert header and Columbia University Public Safety identify the issuing authority.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: The branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    2. present: The branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    3. present: The text names Columbia University Public Safety and the Department of Public Safety as the informing and contact authority.
    4. present: The branded heading Clery Crime Alert and Columbia University Public Safety identify the issuing authority.
    5. present: The branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    6. present: The branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    7. present: The branded heading "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuer.
    8. present: The branded heading "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    9. present: The branded signature Clery Crime Alert and Columbia University Public Safety identify the issuing authority.
    10. present: Branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    11. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    12. present: The branded header Clery Crime Alert and Columbia University Public Safety identify the issuing authority.
    13. present: Branded "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" name the issuing authority.
    14. present: Opens with the branded signature Clery Crime Alert and names Columbia University Public Safety as the authority.
    15. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    16. present: Branded "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" name the issuing authority.
    17. present: The branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and Columbia University Public Safety identify the issuing authority.
    18. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    19. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    20. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    21. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    22. present: The branded heading "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    23. present: The branded header "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
    24. present: Branded "Clery Crime Alert" plus "Columbia University Public Safety" name the issuing authority.
    25. present: The branded signature "Clery Crime Alert" and "Columbia University Public Safety" identify the issuing authority.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads find Hazard present because the text names three burglaries committed by the same person.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: The title and body name "burglaries" as the specific threat.
    2. present: The heading and body name "burglaries" as the specific crime.
    3. present: The heading and body name burglaries as the specific crime, including entry by piggybacking behind residents.
    4. present: The heading and body name burglaries as the specific crime, not a generic incident.
    5. present: The heading and body name "burglaries" as the specific threat.
    6. present: The heading and body name "burglaries" as the specific threat.
    7. present: The alert names "burglaries" as the specific crime threat.
    8. present: The heading and body name "Burglaries" as the specific crime.
    9. present: The alert names burglaries as the specific threat, including entries by piggybacking.
    10. present: The text names "burglaries" as the specific crime, including piggyback entry.
    11. present: The alert names "burglaries" as the specific crime, including entry by piggybacking behind residents.
    12. present: The subject and body name burglaries as the specific crime threat.
    13. present: The heading and body name "burglaries" as the specific crime.
    14. present: The heading and body name burglaries as the specific threat, not a generic incident.
    15. present: The text names "burglaries" as the specific crime, not a generic incident.
    16. present: The heading and body name "burglaries" as the specific crime, not a generic incident.
    17. present: The alert names burglaries as the specific threat, including entry by piggybacking.
    18. present: The text names "burglaries" as the specific crime, including piggybacking entry into buildings.
    19. present: The text names "burglaries" as the specific threat, including three events possibly by the same person.
    20. present: The alert names "burglaries" as the specific crime, not a generic incident.
    21. present: The title and body name "Burglaries" as the specific crime, including piggyback entry into residences.
    22. present: The alert names "Burglaries" as the specific crime, including piggyback entry into buildings.
    23. present: The subject and body name "burglaries" as the specific crime threat.
    24. present: The title and body name "burglaries" as the specific threat.
    25. present: The heading and body name "burglaries" as the specific threat, not a generic incident.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads find Location present: 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It gives addresses "549 Riverside Drive" and "195 Claremont Avenue".
    2. present: It names 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue as the crime sites.
    3. present: It locates the burglaries at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    4. present: It gives street addresses 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    5. present: The crimes are placed at "549 Riverside Drive" and "195 Claremont Avenue".
    6. present: It gives addresses 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    7. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    8. present: It places the burglaries at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    9. present: It gives street addresses at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    10. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    11. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    12. present: It gives the addresses 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    13. present: It gives addresses at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    14. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    15. present: It places the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    16. present: The burglaries are placed at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    17. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    18. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    19. present: It gives street addresses: 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    20. present: It places the burglaries at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    21. present: It gives street addresses: 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    22. present: It gives street addresses at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    23. present: It locates the crimes at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    24. present: It gives addresses: 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
    25. present: It gives addresses: 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont Avenue.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads find Guidance present: tips tell recipients not to buzz unknown people in, not to allow piggybacking, and to retrieve packages promptly.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors behind them, and to call Public Safety from a safe location.
    2. present: Harm Reduction Strategies tell readers not to allow piggybacking and to make doors lock behind them.
    3. present: Harm reduction instructs readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors behind them, and to call Public Safety if needed.
    4. present: Harm Reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    5. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors behind them, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    6. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors behind them, and to call Public Safety from a safe place.
    7. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback and to make sure doors lock.
    8. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback, to make doors lock, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    9. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors behind them, and related protective steps.
    10. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors, and to call Public Safety from a safe place.
    11. present: Harm reduction tells recipients not to allow piggybacking and to make sure doors lock behind them.
    12. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors behind them, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    13. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors, and to call Public Safety once safe.
    14. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to call Public Safety if unsafe, and to make doors lock behind them.
    15. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors, and to call Public Safety from a safe place.
    16. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to allow piggybacking and to make doors lock behind them.
    17. present: Harm reduction instructs not to let others piggyback, to lock doors, and to call Public Safety if needed.
    18. present: Harm reduction instructs readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors, and to call Public Safety if unsafe.
    19. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback, to lock doors, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    20. present: Harm Reduction Strategies tell readers not to let others piggyback and to make doors lock behind them.
    21. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback, to lock doors, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    22. present: Harm Reduction Strategies tell readers not to allow piggybacking, to lock doors, and to retrieve packages promptly.
    23. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback and to make sure doors lock behind them.
    24. present: Harm reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback and to make sure doors lock behind them.
    25. present: Harm Reduction tells readers not to let others piggyback, to make doors lock, and to handle packages carefully.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads find Time present via Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 27 clock times.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It dates the crimes, including Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 27 times.
    2. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    3. present: It timestamps incidents on Monday, September 22 around 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 27 around 4:59 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
    4. present: It reports dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    5. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    6. present: It timestamps the burglaries on September 22 around 5:00 p.m. and on September 27 around 4:59 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
    7. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    8. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    9. present: It reports dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    10. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    11. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    12. present: It timestamps events on September 22 around 5:00 p.m. and September 27 around 4:59 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
    13. present: Events are timed Monday, September 22 around 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 27 around 4:59 and 5:00 p.m.
    14. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    15. present: It gives dates (September 22 and 27) and clock times around 5:00 p.m. and 4:59 p.m.
    16. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    17. present: It gives dates and clock times, including September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    18. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    19. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    20. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    21. present: It timestamps the crimes, including Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m. and September 27 times.
    22. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    23. present: It timestamps events, including Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
    24. present: It timestamps events (Monday, September 22 around 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 27 around 4:59 and 5:00 p.m.).
    25. present: It gives dates and clock times such as Monday, September 22 at around 5:00 p.m.
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads find Impact absent: naming burglaries states the completed crimes without injury, danger, or other severity.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: Naming burglary and describing how the suspect entered does not state injury, danger, or other consequences.
    2. absent: Naming burglaries states the crime only, with no consequence or severity wording such as injury or dangerous.
    3. absent: It does not state a consequence or severity such as danger or injury, only that burglaries occurred.
    4. absent: Naming burglary and Clery boilerplate do not state injury, danger, or other consequences of the crime.
    5. absent: Burglary is named, but no consequence or severity such as injury or danger is stated.
    6. absent: Burglary is named, but there is no consequence or severity language such as injury or danger.
    7. absent: Burglary is named, but no consequence or severity such as injury or danger is stated.
    8. absent: Naming burglary and describing stolen-entry tactics does not state injury, danger, or other consequences.
    9. absent: Naming burglaries and a generic Clery disclaimer about a threat to the community does not state injury or danger.
    10. absent: Burglary is named but no consequence or severity such as injury or danger is stated.
    11. absent: Naming burglary is not a consequence statement, and the text does not describe injury, danger, or other harm.
    12. absent: The text names the burglaries and entry method but does not state injury, danger, or other consequences of the hazard.
    13. absent: No injury, danger, or other consequence is stated; naming burglary and how the suspect entered is not impact.
    14. absent: Naming burglaries is not impact, and no injury, danger, or other consequence of the crime is stated.
    15. absent: Naming burglary and describing piggyback entry does not state injury, danger, or other consequences.
    16. absent: Naming burglary is not a consequence or severity statement such as injury or danger.
    17. absent: Naming burglary and the Clery legal disclaimer do not state consequences or severity of this crime.
    18. absent: Naming burglary and describing entry methods does not state injury, danger, or other consequences.
    19. absent: Naming burglary and describing piggyback entry does not state injury, danger, or other consequences.
    20. absent: The text names the burglaries and Clery boilerplate but does not state injury, danger, or other harm.
    21. absent: Naming burglary and Clery "serious or continuous threat" boilerplate does not state injury, danger, or other harm.
    22. absent: Burglary is named, but the text does not state consequences or severity such as injury or danger.
    23. absent: Burglary is named, but no consequence or severity such as injury or danger is stated.
    24. absent: Naming burglary is not a consequence; there is no injury, danger, or severity statement about what the crime could do.
    25. absent: Burglary is named, but the text does not state consequences or severity such as injury or danger.

Coded by SuperGrok Heavy 4.5

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Columbia Public Safety posts Clery Crime Alerts as PDFs. Official product: the 2025-W27 warning.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official Clery Crime Alert PDF recovered from the Public Safety files host.
Outcome
Public Safety seeking tips at 212-854-2797.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Columbia University: Burglaries at 549 Riverside Drive and 195 Claremont." Incident of September 22, 2025. Added September 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/columbia-university-549-rsd-195-claremont-burglaries-2025-09-22/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
private-r1new-yorkcolumbiaivycleryburglaryUnder Investigation
Added September 2026Updated September 2026Via ingestion