With the 2013 fall semester underway, students at Stony Brook University are facing a new stress to go along with the stresses of succeeding in the classroom. Police are currently investigating a string of late-night campus robberies that occurred earlier this week.
According to Suffolk County police the first robbery occurred at 10:20 p.m. on Sunday. The student was walking along the bike path next to the campus athletic fields when a group of men approached him. The suspect reportedly threatened the student at knife point and and stole his cell phone. After robbing the student, the group of men ran toward the Long Island Rail Road commuter parking lot located in the back of the school.
The second incident was an attempted robbery occurring early Tuesday morning at 12:50 a.m. A group of three students were walking along the same area the first robbery occurred when they were approached by two men wearing ski masks. Students told police the men demanded money and threatened them with what looked like an Airsoft gun.
This time the suspects took off toward Circle Road empty-handed. According to police one of the suspects in the second robbery wore goggles that may have had a camera attached to it.
Last fall was the scene of another on-campus incident when a commuter student stabbed a resident. The assailant ran off in what was reported as a dark colored vehicle but was quickly identified and arrested after an extensive investigation by University police. The student attacked in the incident recovered and was treated for his wounds at University Hospital.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest in the recent string of robberies on the campus. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls are confidential.
[Source: CBS, Stony Brook University]