Kean University president confirms student is recovering after campus stabbing incident

Kean University President Lamont Repollet sent out a letter to the university community on Wednesday following a stabbing incident that occurred on campus on Tuesday.

Amanda Lee

Sep 20, 2023, 4:17 PM

Updated 462 days ago

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Kean University President Lamont Repollet sent out a letter to the university community on Wednesday following a stabbing incident that occurred on campus on Tuesday.
Repollet confirms that on Tuesday night around 8 p.m., a student was reportedly stabbed during an altercation near the Miron Student Center and the basketball courts. University police haven't said anything about locating a suspect but believe this is connected to some individuals who were riding bikes around campus. Police say they then left immediately after the incident.
Staff member and recent graduate Helen Jose told News 12, “It was so alarming, actually. I was so surprised at the moment. I didn’t think something like that would happen on campus. As a student, I never came across that kind of action but it’s sad to hear, of course.”
Repollet confirmed this was an isolated incident and said the injured student is recovering.
Student leadership at Kean University says other students have been curious after seeing an increased police presence on campus.
Student trustee Jeremiah Monteiro said, “I did get a couple of text messages from students, not really concerns but just wanting to know what happened.”
For the most part, students say they still feel safe. “We all feel that there’s safety on campus, especially because we do have Kean University Police,” said, junior Danielle Brathwait.
Repollet also stated, “This reminds all of us that although we are part of a caring community. Kean is an open campus, and we are not immune to crime from the outside world."
Vice President of University Relations, Karen Smith, told News 12, “This was an isolated incident and we have made a commitment that we will investigate what happened, learn what we can from it, and make whatever changes we feel will be in the best interest of the campus.”
The university administration is reminding students to make use of the 30 blue light phones across campus that connect directly to the University Police Department if they ever have an issue.