Rutgers students remain on alert amid uptick of incidents near New Brunswick campus as 'Rutgers Day' nears
There have been several shootings, incidents of vandalism and mischief near the campus over the past several weeks.
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The annual Rutgers Day celebration will be taking place on the New Brunswick campus this Saturday. It comes during a month where the university has gotten a lot of attention.
Rutgers Day is when the university and everything that each scholarly department has to offer is on display. It’s a time when alumni, as well as current and prospective students have a chance to mingle.
But students admit that it has been a tense few weeks.
In early April, a shooting on Easton Avenue injured a student who was hit by a stray bullet while sitting in her apartment. A male student was also injured in relation to that shooting.
Since then, four men have been arrested.
There have been protests on campus over the war between Israel and Hamas, leading to students calling on the university president to divest from Israel.
This was followed by a break-in and vandalism at the Islamic Center along College Avenue. Police investigated that as a hate crime and a New Brunswick man with no ties to Rutgers was arrested.
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Most recently, police say that at the College Avenue Parking deck, someone in a car threw live fireworks at students.
Kaitlin Rossinow is a sophomore who lives on Easton Avenue.
“It’s a bit too active for comfort,” she says. “The shooting at Nirvanis [Indian Kitchen] right across the street is not good. It’s not very safe over there to be quite honest.”
Claudia, another student who lives just off campus was also spooked by the shooting.
“My parents are definitely concerned, too. I think we took the proper safety measures, installed a Ring camera for security,” she says.
Concerning outsiders arriving on the campus for Rutgers Day, a university spokesperson wrote, “As with all planned events on campus, the Rutgers University Police Department ensures sufficient personnel and security measures are in place to maintain a safe environment.”
When it comes to crime, students regularly get alerts emailed
“I mean I think they all come as a shock, you’re not supposed to take them lightly. But at some point it’s like what can you do about it,” says junior Chris Falzarano.
“There’s only so much that Rutgers can do about like New Brunswick safety hazards,” student Kaitlin Rossinow says.
The university said it would increase the police presence along Easton Avenue.
