A suspect has been charged with breaking and entering and willful trespass after reportedly breaking into Wayland House, according to a Monday email sent to Wayland residents by Vice President for Campus Safety Rodney Chatman. The suspect was arrested Sunday after being apprehended by DPS.
On Sunday morning, a Wayland resident contacted DPS regarding “a suspicious person in the room of another student,” according to the email. The suspect fled the scene on foot after being confronted by the resident.
DPS dispatched an officer to the scene after receiving a call about the individual. The suspect was arrested behind 13 Brown St., the email read.
“We will continue to gather information to determine if additional charges are warranted and if he was involved in any other crimes,” Chatman wrote, adding that the department will look into “how long he may have been present in Wayland House and how he may have entered the building.”
According to DPS Director of Advocacy, Engagement and Communications Quiana Young, the investigation is ongoing.
“We are in the early stages of our investigation and have received a multitude of information and tips,” which DPS is reviewing for accuracy, Young wrote in an email to The Herald.
Wayland resident Alexia Embiricos ’25 told The Herald that she pursued the suspect after receiving a concerned text from another resident.
On Sunday morning, Embiricos — who lives in one of two fourth-floor suites in Wayland — received a text from a resident in the neighboring suite stating that “she was walking out of her room and she saw a man either entering or exiting our other friend’s room,” Embiricos said.
“As I was walking down the stairs to go to their lounge, I saw a man just lurking in the stairwell,” she continued. When the man saw Embiricos, he began walking away. Embiricos took a photo of the man, then checked on her friend and called DPS.
Embricios subsequently returned to the suite’s lounge, where the suspect had fled to, and confronted him. He then left the suite after taking a bottle from a table, she said.
“I chased after him for a bit, but then kind of just gave up,” she added. “By that point, DPS came.”
This is a developing story. The Herald will follow up with additional coverage as new information arises.
Neil Mehta is the editor-in-chief and president of the Brown Daily Herald's 134th editorial board. They study public health and statistics at Brown. Outside the office, you can find Neil baking and playing Tetris.
