{
  "id": "2024-03-20-middlebury-college-stabbing",
  "slug": "middlebury-college-stabbing-2024-03-20",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Middlebury College",
    "shortName": "Middlebury",
    "state": "VT",
    "type": "private-liberal-arts",
    "alertSystemName": "MiddAlert",
    "enrollment": 2800
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-03-20",
    "type": "stabbing",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Student stabbed in an off-campus attack; suspect charged with attempted murder",
    "headlinePublic": "Student stabbed in an off-campus attack; suspect charged with attempted murder",
    "summary": "On the evening of March 20, 2024, a [Middlebury College student was stabbed repeatedly](https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/03/middlebury-student-reportedly-stabbed-on-college-street-with-suspect-in-custody-for-attempted-murder) while walking home from Shaw's Grocery on College Street at approximately 8:00 PM EDT. The suspect, 31-year-old Jerry L. Hoffman, [attacked from behind with two knives](https://www.addisonindependent.com/2024/03/21/middlebury-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-after-knife-attack-on-college-st/) in what police described as a random assault. Middlebury's [MiddAlert system](https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/announcements/2024/03/incident-campus-wednesday-march-20) sent two emergency notifications to the campus community.",
    "outcome": "The suspect Jerry L. Hoffman was taken into custody and charged with attempted murder in the second degree, aggravated assault with a weapon, and resisting arrest. The victim, Huy Tran '24, was transported to Porter Hospital and later transferred to UVM Medical Center in stable condition.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 1
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-03-20T20:17:00-04:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/03/middlebury-student-reportedly-stabbed-on-college-street-with-suspect-in-custody-for-attempted-murder",
      "sourceDescription": "The Middlebury Campus, quoting the MiddAlert message (also reproduced on Middlebury College's Threads account)",
      "annotations": [],
      "lastUpdated": "2026-08-02"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-03-20T20:40:00-04:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/03/middlebury-student-reportedly-stabbed-on-college-street-with-suspect-in-custody-for-attempted-murder",
      "sourceDescription": "The Middlebury Campus, quoting the MiddAlert all-clear (also on Middlebury College's Threads account)",
      "annotations": [],
      "lastUpdated": "2026-08-02"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Thursday, March 21, 2024, Midd Stories community letter after the Wednesday evening incident",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Dear Middlebury Community,\n\nWe are writing to provide an update about an incident that occurred on College Street on Wednesday, March 20, prompting emergency notifications.\n\nAt approximately 8 p.m., Middlebury Police responded to a reported stabbing on College Street, in a residential area of campus. The Middlebury College Department of Public Safety sent two MiddAlert notifications to the campus community in response. While gathering more information, we urged our community to stay indoors. Police confirmed on Thursday that a victim was transported to Porter Hospital and later transferred to UVM Medical Center. We have since learned that the victim is a student who is in stable condition. The College is working directly with the student to provide all appropriate support. Please note that we are not able to provide more information due to privacy concerns.\n\nWe also learned from police that a suspect is in custody and there is no ongoing threat to the community. We issued an all clear at approximately 8:40 p.m. Middlebury Police are leading the investigation and additional questions should be directed to them. Anyone with additional information should contact MPD at 802-388-3191.\n\nMiddlebury College offers suggestions about personal safety on page 29 of our annual safety and security report. While nothing can guarantee a crime will not happen, these tips are offered as a supportive measure to improve campus safety for our community.\n\nWe also want to remind you that while we are in the spring break period, the College still provides support for students and employees through a variety of means, including the following:\n\nFor students:\n\nTimelyCare: Services for students are always available 24/7 at go/timelycare and on Canvas through the left menu navigation. For technical assistance with Timely Care services and the TimelyCare app please call the 24/7 customer assistance line at 833-484-6359, email help@timely.md, or use the live chat function at go/timelycare.\n\nCollege Counseling: 802-443-5141 or counseling@middlebury.edu.\n\nScott Center Chaplains: 802-443-5626, scottcenterstaff@middlebury.edu, Chaplains on Call access information.\n\nCare Management: middcares@middlebury.edu or go/care to request support or express concerns about another student.\n\nDepartment of Public Safety: for wellness checks and to activate emergency services, 802-443-5911 or publicsafety@middlebury.edu.\n\nFor employees:\n\nScott Center Chaplains: 802-443-5626, or scottcenterstaff@middlebury.edu, Chaplains on Call access information.\n\nEmployee and Family Assistance Program: 866-660-9533 (Company Code: Middlebury College), is available 24/7 for faculty and staff and their immediate family members, and those residing in their homes to speak to a counselor, among other services.\n\nEmployees concerned about a student can submit a Care Report at go/care which will be assessed each business day by Care Management staff. Employees can also access 24/7 consultation through TimelyCare’s customer assistance line at 833-484-6359 by pressing 2 and identifying themselves as a Middlebury employee. TimelyCare clinicians can help identify next steps, make referrals to on-campus resources, and engage campus emergency protocols if needed.\n\nWe are grateful for the fast and expert care our emergency first responders provided to our student during this incident, and to the Middlebury Police Department and other responding agencies for their quick response. If you have any questions or concerns about campus safety, please contact the Middlebury Department of Public Safety.\n\nSincerely,\n\nDemitria Kirby\nAssociate Vice President of Safety\n\nSmita Ruzicka\nVice President for Student Affairs",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.middlebury.edu/stories/archive/2024/03/incident-campus-wednesday-march-20",
      "sourceDescription": "Middlebury Midd Stories: Incident on Campus Wednesday, March 20 — Kirby/Ruzicka community letter",
      "annotations": [
        "2026-09-13 catch-up b21 P2 .edu. Dual HTML extract of the Dear Middlebury Community letter through the Kirby/Ruzicka signature. Cited announcements URL 301s onto the Midd Stories archive; sourceUrl is the effective URL. Interior NBSP preserved. Independent second-blind sha agreement. Seq 1-2 reconstructed MiddAlert SMS stay unconfirmed. First burst not newly confirmed: no 25-pass. Slug already in consensus: no recode."
      ],
      "characterCount": 3693
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of March 20, 2024, Middlebury College senior Huy Tran was [walking home from Shaw's Grocery](https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/05/a-firsthand-account-of-the-stabbing-on-college-street) on College Street with a friend at approximately 8:00 PM EDT when 31-year-old Jerry L. Hoffman approached from behind and [stabbed him four times in the back with two knives](https://www.addisonindependent.com/2024/03/21/middlebury-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-after-knife-attack-on-college-st/). The attack appeared to be random — Tran did not know his attacker. A female companion who was with Tran called 911 and was uninjured. Middlebury Police responded immediately, and the [MiddAlert emergency notification system](https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/announcements/2024/03/incident-campus-wednesday-march-20) sent two alerts to the campus community. Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in the pursuit and arrest, including Vermont State Police, Vermont Fish and Wildlife, Vergennes Police, and the Middlebury Fire Department. Hoffman was [charged with attempted murder in the second degree](https://www.addisonindependent.com/2024/03/28/middlebury-man-pleads-not-guilty-to-knife-attack/), aggravated assault with a weapon, and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty, and a [sanity assessment was later requested](https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/10/college-street-stabbing-case-holds-hearing-requests-sanity-assessment). The incident, combined with a [2023 swatting hoax at Davis Family Library](https://vtdigger.org/2023/04/10/false-report-of-active-shooter-raises-fears-at-middlebury-college/), prompted the college to conduct its first-ever shelter-in-place drill in December 2024.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The attack was random, the victim did not know his attacker, making it a particularly alarming incident for the small-town campus community",
    "Multiple law enforcement agencies from across Addison County responded to assist Middlebury Police, reflecting the limited resources of a rural Vermont campus",
    "The stabbing, combined with a 2023 swatting hoax, prompted Middlebury's first-ever shelter-in-place drill in December 2024"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Incident on Campus Wednesday, March 20 (Middlebury College)",
      "url": "https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/announcements/2024/03/incident-campus-wednesday-march-20",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Middlebury student reportedly stabbed on College Street (The Middlebury Campus)",
      "url": "https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/03/middlebury-student-reportedly-stabbed-on-college-street-with-suspect-in-custody-for-attempted-murder",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Middlebury man charged with attempted murder (Addison Independent)",
      "url": "https://www.addisonindependent.com/2024/03/21/middlebury-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-after-knife-attack-on-college-st/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "A firsthand account of the stabbing (The Middlebury Campus)",
      "url": "https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2024/05/a-firsthand-account-of-the-stabbing-on-college-street",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Middlebury man pleads not guilty to knife attack (Addison Independent)",
      "url": "https://www.addisonindependent.com/2024/03/28/middlebury-man-pleads-not-guilty-to-knife-attack/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "stabbing",
    "random-attack",
    "liberal-arts-college",
    "vermont",
    "attempted-murder",
    "rural-campus",
    "middalert"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-13",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}