Students scared by intruder

An intruder jumped over the turnstile at the Quadrangle entrance and awoke two students living on the fourth floor of Community House early yesterday morning, according to College freshman Jasson Cohen, a fourth-floor Community House resident. Cohen said he awoke at 6 a.m. yesterday when he heard a tapping on his door. Figuring that it was one of his friends, Cohen told the individual to come into his room. But Cohen was not expecting the person who walked in. "This random guy comes in, sounding like he was drunk and really acting strange," Cohen said. He said that the man, who claimed he was a senior at the University, told him that people "down front" were looking for him and he "needed a place to hang out for a couple of hours." Cohen described the stranger as a 5'8'' to 5'10'' caucasian male, 150 to 170 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. He added that the unknown male sounded as if he had a phony Irish accent. "He said he liked the Crash Hall Dancers and they were a great band," Cohen said. He advised the man that there was a study hall down hall where he could stay for a couple of hours. The intruder left and Cohen went back to bed for about 15 minutes, until he realized that what he had witnessed was really odd. The man was still roaming the hall -- now bothering Cohen's neighbor, Wharton freshman Jill Sheehan. Sheehan said that she too was awakened by the stranger, who told her that he and his friend had sneaked into the Quad because they were partying and did not want to stop. When Sheehan asked where the alleged student's friend was, he told her that his friend was being chased by security guards. "I was scared," she said. "This really strange drunk man was in my room." Sheehan added that the man claimed he was a senior named Mark and his friend was also a senior named Alex, but she could not remember the last names he had told her. The man remained in her room for 20 minutes, refusing to leave, she said. But when the stranger finally decided to go and Sheehan went back to sleep, she did not really understand exactly what had just transpired. She added that her half-awake state made the situation very bizarre. "I did not think I was really aware that there was this drunk person in my room," Sheehan said. "It was kind of crazy." Cohen decided to wake up his residential advisor and report the bizarre occurrence. The RA called the Quad desk and explained the situation, at which point he was informed that someone had jumped over the turnstile and that University Police had been notified. But when the RA called University Police to find out if they had received the call, the operator said the police had not been notified. "I think if someone jumped over the turnstile, they should have contacted the police or someone should have gone and looked for him," Cohen said. "It's not something that you expect -- you take it for granted that if you're in the Quad, you're in a secure area."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.