MIT Police Say Man Matching Lowell House Assault Suspect Entered MIT Dorm

A man who matched the description of the suspect in a reported assault at Lowell House followed another person into an Massachusetts Institute of Technology residence hall shortly after the Harvard incident Tuesday evening, according to an alert from the MIT Police Department.

MIT Police responded at approximately 7:25 p.m. to an MIT residence hall at 70 Pacific Street, after a caller reported that an unknown man had followed her into a side entrance of the building and was “acting suspiciously,” the warning stated.

The caller told MIT Police that the man followed her into the building at approximately 5:45 p.m. — roughly 15 minutes after Harvard and Cambridge police responded to a report of an assault at Lowell House, according to an alert sent by Harvard police Tuesday evening.

MIT Police said camera footage showed the man left the residence hall at approximately 5:59 p.m.

The MIT warning said the man “matched the description” of the person named in the earlier Harvard alert. MIT Police described the suspect as a white male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a thin build, wearing a white T-shirt and dark-colored shorts. The warning also included a security camera image of the suspect.

The MIT alert classified the incident as a breaking and entering. It did not state that the suspect made physical contact with the caller or describe an assault at the residence hall.

At Lowell House, an unknown man entered the residence hall without authorization by following another individual into the building, according to the HUPD alert. The man then attempted to force the victim into the room and covered the victim’s mouth. She screamed, at which point “several people nearby” exited their rooms. The victim was a female senior in Lowell House, according to a student familiar with the situation.

The victim did not report any physical injuries, according to the alert. In a message to Lowell residents after the incident, Lowell House Faculty Deans David I. Laibson ’88 and Nina Zipser wrote that Harvard and Cambridge police officers had canvassed the House and the surrounding area and believed the suspect had fled. Additional police and security detail have been stationed outside of the House overnight.

Spokespeople for the Harvard University Police Department and the Cambridge Police Department declined to comment on the incident. But the email notice sent to Harvard affiliates noted that police were continuing to look for the suspect.

An MIT spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The MIT warning asked community members to report “tailgaters” and suspicious activity, and to ensure that residential and office doors close securely behind them.

Labison similarly reminded Lowell students to remain vigilant about people attempting to follow them into restricted buildings and to keep entrances closed. The message was echoed by the faculty deans of Kirkland, Winthrop, and Eliot Houses and in a message sent to the student body by Associate Dean of Students Lauren E. Brandt ’01 in the hours after the reported assault.

—Staff writer Uy B. Pham contributed reporting.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at ClaireMichal.154.