Campus Alert Archive
Columbia

Clery crime alert for a theft near campus — West 116th Street

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NYmotor vehicle thefttimely warninghigh confidence
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Under Investigation

Columbia University Public Safety issued a Clery crime alert PDF (archived via Wayback) regarding this incident. Full text is preserved from the official alert flyer.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Columbia University
Private R1 · NY
All Columbia cases →
~33,000 studentsColumbia Public Safety Clery Alerts
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 verbatim1978 chars
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 rp3240@columbia.edu Clery Crime Alert Motor Vehicle Theft On Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m. a Motor Vehicle Theft occurred at West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus. The complainant, a Columbia University contractor, reported that they briefly parked their vehicle on West 116th Street & Broadway, leaving their car unlocked and the motor running. An unknown individual entered the car and drove north on Broadway. The incident was reported to Columbia University Public Safety on Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 7:20 a.m. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 212-854-2797. The suspect is described as male-presenting with a medium-complexion and might be approximately 30- 40 years old. The suspect also had a beard and was wearing a blue jacket, blue shirt, tan pants, blue & yellow sneakers and a dark colored knit cap with stripes. Safety Tips Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked for any reason or for any period of time. Park in well-lit areas. Activate your car alarm if vehicle is equipped with one. Disclaimer: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety 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 rp3240@columbia.edu
Verify this quote
Columbia Public Safety Clery crime alert PDF via Wayback Machineweb.archive.org
Full text extracted with pdftotext from official Clery alert PDF archived on Wayback
Live publicsafety.columbia.edu currently returns Cloudflare 403 to automated fetch; Wayback holds the public PDF
2026-09-21 second deep audit P2 chrome R1: browser print-to-PDF Outlook URL and page counter are capture artifacts. Paired demote+correct. Cap-exempt.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude Opus 5.5 (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.

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 rp3240@columbia.edu Clery Crime Alert Motor Vehicle Theft On Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m. a Motor Vehicle Theft occurred at West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus. The complainant, a Columbia University contractor, reported that they briefly parked their vehicle on West 116th Street & Broadway, leaving their car unlocked and the motor running. An unknown individual entered the car and drove north on Broadway. The incident was reported to Columbia University Public Safety on Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 7:20 a.m. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 212-854-2797. The suspect is described as male-presenting with a medium-complexion and might be approximately 30- 40 years old. The suspect also had a beard and was wearing a blue jacket, blue shirt, tan pants, blue & yellow sneakers and a dark colored knit cap with stripes. Safety Tips Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked for any reason or for any period of time. Park in well-lit areas. Activate your car alarm if vehicle is equipped with one. Disclaimer: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety 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 rp3240@columbia.edu

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: labeled "Clery Crime Alert" and names Columbia University Public Safety.

    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: Clery Crime Alert referencing Columbia University Public Safety.
    2. present: Labeled 'Clery Crime Alert' and names Columbia Public Safety.
    3. present: A Columbia "Clery Crime Alert" naming the Department of Public Safety.
    4. present: Names 'Columbia University Public Safety' and the Department of Public Safety.
    5. present: Headed "Clery Crime Alert" from Columbia University Public Safety.
    6. present: Columbia University Public Safety is named in the Clery Crime Alert.
    7. present: A 'Clery Crime Alert' naming Columbia University Public Safety.
    8. present: Headed 'Clery Crime Alert' and names Columbia University Public Safety.
    9. present: It is a 'Clery Crime Alert' naming Columbia University Public Safety.
    10. present: Labeled 'Clery Crime Alert' from Columbia University Public Safety.
    11. present: It is a Clery Crime Alert naming Columbia Public Safety.
    12. present: Headed 'Clery Crime Alert' and names Columbia University Public Safety.
    13. present: Columbia 'Clery Crime Alert' naming its Public Safety department.
    14. present: Columbia's Clery Crime Alert names the Department of Public Safety.
    15. present: 'Clery Crime Alert' from Columbia's Department of Public Safety.
    16. present: It is labeled 'Clery Crime Alert' and names Columbia University Public Safety as the reporting agency.
    17. present: It is a 'Clery Crime Alert' citing Columbia University Public Safety as the reporting authority.
    18. present: It is headed 'Clery Crime Alert' and cites Columbia University Public Safety, identifying who issued the notice.
    19. present: The 'Clery Crime Alert' header and references to Columbia University Public Safety identify the sender.
    20. present: It is labeled 'Clery Crime Alert' and names Columbia University Public Safety as the department receiving the report.
    21. present: It carries the 'Clery Crime Alert' heading and names Columbia University Public Safety.
    22. present: It is a 'Clery Crime Alert' naming Columbia University Public Safety as the agency receiving the report.
    23. present: It is a 'Clery Crime Alert' naming Columbia University Public Safety as the department receiving the report.
    24. present: The alert is a 'Clery Crime Alert' referencing Columbia's Department of Public Safety as the issuer.
    25. present: The notice is a 'Clery Crime Alert' referencing Columbia University Public Safety and its Department, which identifies the sender.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it names a motor vehicle theft.

    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: Motor vehicle theft.
    2. present: It names a motor vehicle theft.
    3. present: It names a motor vehicle theft.
    4. present: Names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft'.
    5. present: It names a "Motor Vehicle Theft".
    6. present: It names a motor vehicle theft.
    7. present: Names 'Motor Vehicle Theft'.
    8. present: Names 'Motor Vehicle Theft'.
    9. present: It names a motor vehicle theft.
    10. present: It names 'Motor Vehicle Theft', a specific crime.
    11. present: It names motor vehicle theft.
    12. present: It names a motor vehicle theft.
    13. present: It names a motor vehicle theft.
    14. present: It reports a motor vehicle theft.
    15. present: Names a motor vehicle theft.
    16. present: It specifies a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown person drove off in an unlocked running car.
    17. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown individual drove off in an unlocked running car.
    18. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown individual drove off in a contractor's running car.
    19. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' of a contractor's unlocked, running car.
    20. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown person drove off in an unlocked running car.
    21. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown individual drove off with a car.
    22. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown person drove off in an unlocked, running car.
    23. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' in which an unknown individual drove off in a contractor's running car.
    24. present: It names a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' of a contractor's unlocked, running car.
    25. present: It names the crime as a 'Motor Vehicle Theft' of an unlocked running car.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it occurred at "West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus".

    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: West 116th Street and Broadway, Morningside Campus.
    2. present: It occurred at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    3. present: It places the theft at "West 116th Street & Broadway".
    4. present: Gives 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    5. present: It gives "West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus".
    6. present: It says West 116th Street and Broadway at the Morningside Campus.
    7. present: Gives 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    8. present: Gives 'West 116th Street & Broadway'.
    9. present: It gives 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    10. present: It says 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    11. present: It says West 116th Street and Broadway at the Morningside Campus.
    12. present: It gives West 116th Street and Broadway at the Morningside Campus.
    13. present: It gives West 116th Street and Broadway.
    14. present: It names West 116th Street and Broadway.
    15. present: West 116th Street and Broadway at the Morningside Campus.
    16. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    17. present: It gives West 116th Street and Broadway at the Morningside Campus as the location.
    18. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus', a specific intersection.
    19. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    20. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    21. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    22. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    23. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    24. present: It places the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus'.
    25. present: It locates the theft at 'West 116th Street & Broadway at the Morningside Campus', a named intersection.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: the safety tips tell readers never to leave a vehicle running or unlocked and to park in well-lit areas.

    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: Tips such as never leaving a vehicle running or unlocked.
    2. present: Safety tips tell readers never to leave a vehicle running or unlocked and to park in lit areas.
    3. present: Safety tips instruct never to leave a vehicle running or unlocked.
    4. present: Safety tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked'.
    5. present: Safety tips say never leave a vehicle running or unlocked and park in well-lit areas.
    6. present: Tips instruct never to leave a vehicle running or unlocked and to park in lit areas.
    7. present: Tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked'.
    8. present: Tips say never leave a vehicle running or unlocked and park in well-lit areas.
    9. present: Safety tips say never leave a vehicle running or unlocked and to park in well lit areas.
    10. present: Tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked' and park in well-lit areas.
    11. present: Tips tell readers never to leave a vehicle running and to park in well lit areas.
    12. present: Safety tips tell readers never to leave a vehicle running or unlocked.
    13. present: It advises never leaving a vehicle running or unlocked and parking in lit areas.
    14. present: Safety tips tell readers never to leave a vehicle running or unlocked.
    15. present: Tips such as 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running'.
    16. present: Safety tips direct readers to 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running' and to park in well-lit areas.
    17. present: The tips say 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running' and 'Park in well-lit areas', which are protective instructions.
    18. present: Its safety tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running' and to park in well-lit areas.
    19. present: Tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked' and to park in well-lit areas.
    20. present: Its Safety Tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked' and to park in well-lit areas.
    21. present: Safety tips instruct readers to 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running' and to park in well-lit areas.
    22. present: It tells readers to 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked' and to park in well lit areas.
    23. present: Safety tips instruct 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running' and to park in well-lit areas.
    24. present: Tips say 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running or unlocked', a protective instruction.
    25. present: Its tips say 'Never leave your vehicle with the motor running' and to park in well-lit areas, which are protective instructions.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimously: it states "Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m."

    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: April 04, 2025 at around 6:57 a.m.
    2. present: It states 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'
    3. present: It gives "Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.".
    4. present: States 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'
    5. present: It gives "Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.".
    6. present: It gives Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.
    7. present: States 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'.
    8. present: Gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'.
    9. present: It states 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'
    10. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'
    11. present: It gives Friday, April 04, 2025 at around 6:57 a.m.
    12. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'.
    13. present: It gives Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.
    14. present: It gives "April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.".
    15. present: 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'
    16. present: It states 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the time of the theft.
    17. present: It states the theft occurred Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.
    18. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the time of the theft.
    19. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the theft time.
    20. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the time of the theft.
    21. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as when the theft occurred.
    22. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the time of the theft.
    23. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the time of the theft.
    24. present: It gives 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.' as the time of the theft.
    25. present: It dates the theft to 'Friday, April 04, 2025, at around 6:57 a.m.'
  • Impactabsent4/25

    Final assessment

    Absent, by a clear majority: nothing beyond the theft itself is conveyed. A small minority counted the disclaimer's "serious or continuous threat" boilerplate as 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: No consequence or severity conveyed beyond the theft.
    2. present: The notice frames the crime as one that 'represent[s] a serious or continuous threat to the community'.
    3. absent: No consequence or severity beyond the theft itself is conveyed.
    4. present: Disclaimer says such crimes 'represent a serious or continuous threat to the community'.
    5. present: The disclaimer frames the crime as representing "a serious or continuous threat to the community".
    6. absent: No consequence or severity is described.
    7. absent: No consequence or severity is conveyed beyond the theft.
    8. absent: No harm or severity is stated beyond the theft.
    9. absent: No consequence or severity beyond the theft itself is conveyed.
    10. absent: No consequence or severity is conveyed beyond the theft itself.
    11. absent: No harm or severity is conveyed.
    12. absent: No consequence or severity is stated beyond the theft itself.
    13. absent: No consequence or severity statement appears.
    14. absent: No consequence or severity is conveyed.
    15. absent: No harm or severity is conveyed.
    16. absent: The alert describes a stolen car but conveys no injury, danger, or severity beyond naming the crime.
    17. absent: Beyond the car theft itself, nothing conveys potential harm or how serious the threat is to the community.
    18. absent: The alert reports a stolen car but conveys no statement of danger, injury, or severity to the community.
    19. absent: The alert reports a stolen car but states no harm to people or any severity beyond the theft itself.
    20. absent: Apart from boilerplate about 'serious or continuous threat', no consequence or severity of this vehicle theft is stated.
    21. absent: It describes the car being taken but conveys no injury, danger, or severity to people.
    22. absent: It describes the car theft but conveys no consequence or severity beyond the loss itself.
    23. present: The disclaimer states these crimes 'represent a serious or continuous threat to the community', an explicit severity statement.
    24. absent: It describes the theft itself but states no broader danger, injury, or consequence to the community.
    25. absent: The alert describes the vehicle being driven away but conveys no harm to people or any stated severity beyond the theft.

Coded by Claude Opus 5.5

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

About this analysis
Context

Background

On or about 2025-04-04, Columbia University Department of Public Safety published a Clery crime alert flyer. The live Clery crime alerts index is currently access-restricted to automated clients (Cloudflare 403); this case uses a Wayback-archived PDF of the same public notice series.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official Clery crime alert PDF with complete transmitted text
Recovered via Wayback Machine because the live Public Safety host blocks automated access
Outcome
See the Clery crime alert for investigation status and safety guidance.
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
    Clery crime alert PDF (Wayback)
    web.archive.org
    archived copy
  2. Official
    Columbia Public Safety Clery crime alerts index
    publicsafety.columbia.edu
    archived copy
  3. Statement
    Columbia University
    columbia.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Columbia University: Clery crime alert for a theft near campus — West 116th Street." Incident of April 4, 2025. Added July 2026; last updated September 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/columbia-university-motor-vehicle-theft-motor-vehicle-theft-116thstree-2025-04-04/

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

Tags
motor-vehicle-theftclerytimely-warningcolumbianew-yorkwaybackUnder Investigation
Added July 2026Updated September 2026Via ingestion