Senior arrested for stalking Mayer females

Penn senior Diexia Wang was arrested at Mayer Hall last week after he allegedly stalked female residents of the dorm and stole their property, including their undergarments.

A search of Wang's belongings yielded the discovery of high-end purses, one Burberry jacket and between 30 to 35 bras and pairs of women's underwear, all allegedly stolen, Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker said.

Wang, 21, was arrested when a female Penn student and Mayer Hall resident returned to her room and heard noises within her apartment. She noticed a shadow in her hallway and called out to see if someone was there, Walker said.

Wang - who also lives in Mayer Hall - told the student he was waiting for her roommate, Walker said. The student found his story suspicious and called police.

The student said that she believes she left her door unlocked last Wednesday, but that Wang had knocked on her door the previous day with a key to her room, Walker said.

She had decided not to answer but changed her mind when she heard a key in her lock. She opened the door to find Wang, who said he had found the key and had come to return it.

Because Mayer's keys are not embossed with room numbers, it is unclear how Wang could have linked an unidentified key to a specific room.

The student did not call police after the first incident.

Police said they are unsure how Wang obtained the key or if he made duplicates.

This student, however, was not the only alleged victim: His tactics and excuses were familiar to other Mayer female students, who shared similar stories.

College freshman Catherine Hsu and her roommates left their Mayer apartment door unlocked one evening during fall break. When they returned that night, they found the door locked.

Hsu and her roommates assumed they must have accidentally locked the door but then heard knocking from inside the room.

A man whom Hsu now recognizes as Wang then opened their door, asking if one of them was named Stephanie, Hsu said.

Hsu recalled that the man said, "Oh, well, my friend Stephanie said she would leave her room unlocked. . Then I could go in, and then I could surprise her or something."

The man lingered in the doorway, Hsu said, and kept apologizing, saying things like, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so embarrassed, this is so awkward."

Hsu said she and her roommates were initially unconcerned, though one roommate later discovered she was missing multiple pairs of underwear.

Walker said police are investigating other related incidents reported to have occurred both this year and last.

Wang has been charged with stalking, harassment, burglary and theft, and his parents have paid 10 percent of his $25,000 bail. Police did not know if Wang had returned to the dorm. His preliminary hearing is set for today.

Philadelphia Police are investigating, and the Division of Public Safety refused to comment on the case.

Wang's status with the University is not yet clear. He is not listed on the Penn Directories, and University spokesman Ron Ozio refused to comment on any disciplinary action the school would take, citing confidentiality reasons.

Students who live in Mayer, located at 3817 Spruce St., were shocked by the incident. Most residents live in the dorm for all four years and, as a result, students say Mayer is one of the more close-knit communities on campus.

"I know everyone in my hall and so I sort of assume that it's safe," said College freshman Rachel Gittelman, a Mayer resident. "But that's obviously a false assumption, especially since the guy lives in our dorm."

Nursing junior Adrienne Hoving, who also lives in Mayer, said though she felt troubled, she wasn't as concerned, because she routinely keeps her room secured.

"If you don't lock your door," Hoving said, "then you're kind of asking for trouble."

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