Campus Alert Archive
UWO

Four Teenagers Used Tinder to Lure and Rob UW-Oshkosh Students Blocks From Campus

WIrobberytimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Between October 19 and November 2, 2019, a series of armed robberies and attempted robberies occurred within blocks of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus, targeting students who had arranged meetings via the dating app Tinder. Victims were physically assaulted and robbed, though no weapons beyond hands and physical force were reported. UWO Police Lieutenant Trent Martin sent an email to all students alerting them to the pattern of dating-app-enabled robberies near campus. Four teenage boys were arrested November 7, 2019.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Public Masters · WI
~13,000 studentsTitanAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction331 chars
UWO Police are investigating a series of robberies and attempted robberies occurring near campus between October 19 and November 2. In some cases, suspects used a dating app to arrange meetings with victims. Please be aware of your surroundings when meeting strangers. If you have information, contact UWO Police or Oshkosh Police.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

UWO Police Lt. Trent Martin confirmed issuing a campus-wide email alert about the dating-app robbery series; this timely warning came after multiple incidents over approximately two weeks, reflecting a pattern-based trigger rather than a single-incident trigger.
The robberies did not occur on UWO's campus proper -- they occurred within blocks of the campus in the surrounding residential area, placing them in the 'public property' Clery Act geography zone.
Context

Background

UW-Oshkosh is a regional public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with approximately 13,000 students living in and around the campus neighborhoods on the west side of the city. Between October 19 and November 2, 2019, four teenage boys -- none of them UWO students -- targeted university students by using Tinder to arrange supposed meetings, then assaulting and robbing them in the residential blocks near campus. The two incidents that clearly involved the dating-app lure occurred on October 19 and November 2, with victims arriving at arranged locations only to be confronted by multiple attackers. Both victims sustained minor injuries; no weapons beyond physical force were reported. UWO Police Lt. Trent Martin issued a campus-wide email warning students about the dating-app robbery pattern in the area -- a timely warning issued once a clear pattern was established, rather than after any individual incident. Four teenagers were arrested on November 7, 2019 and charged in connection with multiple successful and attempted robberies. The case is an early documented example of Tinder-enabled robbery targeting college students near a campus -- a pattern that would be documented at institutions across the country in subsequent years.
Analysis

Key Findings

Dating-app lure-and-rob robberies near a campus are a Clery Act timely-warning trigger when they form a discernible pattern involving campus-adjacent areas
The campus-wide email warning came after multiple incidents over two weeks, not after the first robbery -- a pattern-based trigger that balances avoiding alarm with alerting community to real risk
Four non-student teenage suspects were arrested seven days after the timely warning was issued
This is an early documented example of dating-app lure tactics targeting college students near a campus, predating similar warnings at other institutions
Outcome
Four teenage suspects arrested November 7, 2019. Victims sustained minor injuries. No weapons were used. Criminal charges were filed in connection with multiple robberies and attempted robberies.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Police investigating series of robberies, attempted robberies near UW-Oshkosh campus -- WLUK FOX11
    fox11online.com
  2. Student Paper
    Police arrest 4 teens for successful and attempted robberies by way of Tinder -- Advance-Titan
    advancetitan.com
  3. News
    Police: Robbers used dating app in some Oshkosh muggings -- WBAY
    wbay.com
  4. News
    Four teenage boys arrested in case of multiple robberies near UW-Oshkosh -- NBC26
    nbc26.com
Tags
robberydating-apptindertimely-warningwisconsinnear-campuspattern-crimeteenager-suspectsoshkosh
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion