Jenna Dattilo

On Feb. 12, a Greyhound Alert reported that multiple cars were damaged on Millbrook Road, just south of Cold Spring Lane.

“On Feb. 12, 2024 at approximately 7:25 a.m., a campus police officer responded to the 100 block of Millbrook Road for reports of attempted auto theft and damaged vehicles,” Adrian Black, the Director of Public Safety, said in an email.

According to Black, the responding officer noticed five vehicles with broken windows, and even one vehicle with a damaged ignition switch.

Fletcher Wilson ‘25, one of the victims of the break-ins, had to immediately pay for the repairs on his damaged vehicle.

“I felt pretty horrible. I ended up skipping one of my classes later in the day to go get my window repaired because I didn’t want to leave my car in that condition. It cost $350.”

Because Millbrook Road is just off of Loyola’s property, Baltimore City Police became involved in the investigation. However, Public Safety is still taking the incident seriously. 

“We take incidents near campus seriously… Baltimore City Police are investigating these break-ins because Millbrook is a city street and outside of Loyola campus police jurisdiction,” Black said.

With limited parking for students around campus, many students resort to street parking for their vehicles. After this series of break-ins, Wilson is hesitant to return to his usual spot for overnight parking.

“During the day I think it’s okay to have your car there because there are a lot of people in the area. But late at night, I don’t feel comfortable leaving my car there due to the lack of people and lighting.”

This recent incident comes almost one year after the break-in and robbery of Mary Velazquez’s ‘23 vehicle from the Rahner parking lot last year, but the Evergreen Campus has dealt with the issue of vehicle related crimes often in the past, with a break-in at the FAC and another incident on Millbrook Road in 2017. With five more break-ins now recorded, campus safety is now working with Baltimore City Police on strategies to prevent future crimes.

“I have asked our detective to discuss our concerns about break-ins with BPD detectives because of similar incidents in the city to determine their strategy for addressing these crimes,” Black said. “We will continue to rely on BPD patrols for our surrounding neighborhoods and work to try to prevent these incidents from occurring.”

In the alert, Public Safety listed good practices to prevent such crimes in the future.

“Auto thefts are crimes of opportunity. Do not leave keys in your car,” the alert read. “Close all windows and lock doors whenever you leave your car. Park in well-lit areas. Do not leave valuables or packages visible in your car.”

Public Safety also recommends downloading the LiveSafe app to quickly get into contact with the proper authorities in a timely manner.

If you have been affected by this incident and are in need of support, reach out to the Counseling Center. 

This is still an ongoing investigation. If you have any information on the incident or need to report suspicious activity, call Public Safety at 410-617-5911 for emergencies or 410-617-5010 for non-emergencies.