WEEKLY LUPD ACTIVITY SUMMARY
October 4, 2026 – October 11, 2026
During the week of October 4 to October 11, 2026, the Lehigh University Police Department logged a total of 157 calls for service. Overall campus activity remained steady and focused largely on routine residential and facility access assistance, alongside proactive safety checks, responses to facility maintenance issues, and several significant incidents involving non-affiliated individuals along campus perimeter roadways.
SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS & CRIMES
Crimes Against Property/Person:
- Assault on First Responders & Underage DUI: On October 6, officers initiated a traffic stop on Sayre Drive at Dravo Drive for a vehicle operating without required headlights. During the investigation, an intoxicated 20-year-old non-affiliated passenger resisted detention and physically assaulted LUPD officers and responding Bethlehem City Paramedics, resulting in an injury to a paramedic. The passenger was transported to the hospital due to severe alcohol intoxication, and the non-affiliated driver was arrested for DUI while underage. Multiple open alcohol containers were seized from the vehicle, and criminal charges were filed against both individuals. Case open.
- Physical Assault: On October 6, a student at McClintic-Marshall House reported being grabbed by the shirt collar by an unknown non-affiliated male. Officers located the individual and formally issued a trespass warning barring him from all university property. The student signed a victim's rights notification and declined to pursue criminal charges.
- Defiant Trespass / Prohibited Person Arrest: On October 10, officers responded to Taylor Gym for a non-student who was prohibited from university property and refused repeated directives to leave. The individual was arrested on scene and criminally charged.
- Potential Bias / Monitoring Concern: On October 7, students attending a Jewish vigil at the University Center reported an unidentified drone flying overhead before traveling north toward the STEPS building. LUPD officers immediately canvassed the area to assess safety and investigate potential bias concerns, confirming that the gathering was not disrupted and that there was no active threat. The operator was not located, and the incident was documented.
- Potential Hazing Report: On October 7, an anonymous report was submitted alleging potential hazing after a blindfolded individual was observed walking with a group outside Rauch Business Center. Officers investigated to verify student safety and well-being; no distress, coercion, or violations were found on scene.
- Anonymous Drink Tampering Concern: On October 8, an anonymous report was received alleging that a student may have had an alcoholic beverage tampered with at Sigma Phi Epsilon. Officers conducted a comprehensive check of the residence and located no persons under the influence or in physical distress.
- Criminal Mischief / Property Damage: On October 9, the front glass panel of a residential vending machine at Drinker House was shattered when a student attempted to dislodge a purchased snack. Facilities and ABM cleaned the debris, and property damage was documented.
- Off-Campus DUI Crash Assistance: On October 11, officers assisted Bethlehem Police on Webster Street with an off-campus DUI collision where an impaired driver struck two parked vehicles belonging to Lehigh students. The student owners were contacted and directed to city police. Case closed.
- Off-Campus Theft Investigation Assist: On October 7, officers assisted Bethlehem Police with camera video review regarding golf clubs stolen from an unlocked vehicle on Packer Avenue at Fillmore Street; university cameras did not capture the theft.
Fraud/Drugs/Liquor:
- Medical Amnesty & Intoxication Transport: On October 9, emergency medical services responded to Carothers House for an underage student experiencing severe alcohol intoxication. Bethlehem EMS Medic-1 provided immediate on-scene treatment and transported the student to St. Luke's Hospital Fountain Hill, with an administrative referral forwarded to the Dean of Students. Medical Amnesty Note: In accordance with Pennsylvania's Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing and Safe Harbor Act and university policy, students who summon emergency medical care for themselves or others in alcohol- or drug-related emergencies are protected from university disciplinary probation. Lehigh University consistently prioritizes life safety and student health over conduct sanctions.
- Off-Campus Alcohol Medical Transport Assist: On October 9, officers assisted Bethlehem Police with an underage male found severely intoxicated on East Morton Street near Broughal Middle School. The individual was transported via ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital for emergency evaluation and referred to the Dean of Students. Case closed.
- Medical Evaluation & Underage Liquor Violations: On October 6, Lehigh University EMS evaluated an underage student outside Theta Chi who had consumed alcohol and was observed vomiting. The student refused hospital transport and was released into the care of a responsible party; two underage students were referred to the Dean of Students. Additional underage alcohol violations resulting in Dean of Students referrals were handled on October 6 near Pi Beta Phi (woods area) and on October 9 on Packer Avenue at Taylor Street (pedestrian stop after discarding open container). Case closed.
- Electronic Scam Assistance: On October 7, officers assisted a faculty member at Building C regarding an active electronic scam attempt. Case closed.
Facilities & Hazards:
- Gas Leak: On October 7, a Gryphon at the Cultural Greek Council House (House 85) reported an odor of natural gas originating from a fireplace inside the common room. The Bethlehem Fire Department responded, and Facilities submitted emergency work order #77734 to repair the fixture before students were cleared to return.
- Heater Malfunction: On October 10, the Bethlehem Fire Department responded to Brodhead House for a burning odor from a heating unit; the unit was disconnected and rendered safe, and Facilities was dispatched.
- Water Leak: On October 9, a ceiling leak at Saucon Village (Gipson House) was traced to a faulty shower unit in the apartment directly above; Facilities responded on scene.
- Elevator Entrapment: On October 9, the Bethlehem Fire Department freed a faculty member trapped inside an elevator at Mudd Building.
- Laboratory Equipment Malfunction: On October 9, officers responded to an equipment malfunction inside a research laboratory at Iacocca Hall; no injuries or damage occurred.
- Cooking Fire Alarms: Four residential fire alarm activations caused by careless cooking or burnt food were inspected and ventilated by the Bethlehem Fire Department at Sherman Fairchild Center on October 8, House 93 on October 8, Singleton House on October 7, and Richards House on October 10.
SECURITY ALARMS & UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS
Suspicious Activity:
- On October 7, six unidentified males unlawfully entered Taylor Gym, bypassed the front reception desk, and re-entered through an exterior side door after being instructed to leave. They departed after a second confrontation; an investigation remains open to identify the individuals. Officers also conducted a building check on October 8 for an individual who piggybacked behind a student to enter the facility.
- On October 9, officers contacted two unlit juvenile cyclists operating on Upper Sayre Park Road without reflectors or headlamps; both were held safely until a parent arrived to transport them home.
- On October 9, officers conducted two canvasses of Goodman Campus athletic fields and roadways following reports of reckless eBike driving, with negative findings.
- On October 8, officers documented an unauthorized sign posted to a municipal license plate reader pole on Brodhead Court and notified the Lower Saucon Township Police Department.
Security Breaches:
- Zoellner Arts Center Criminal Trespass: On October 7, an unauthorized non-affiliated individual previously banned from campus was discovered sleeping inside Zoellner Arts Center after entering through an unsecured door. Criminal trespass charges are pending.
- Compromised Residential Master Key: On October 10, a student reported losing a purse at EWFM Library containing an interior master key to House 87; IDEAL access management was notified immediately to implement security safeguards.
- Routine security patrols discovered and secured unsecured gates and exterior access points at Ulrich Fields, Goodman Stadium, Iacocca Hall, North Parking Lot, and Sayre Fields.
Alarms:
- Officers resolved 12 door prop or held alarms across campus facilities, including Zoellner Arts Center, Iacocca Hall, Packard Lab, Rauch Business Center, Brodhead House, Jordan Hall, Caruso Wrestling, and HST. All doors were secured, and maintenance work orders were placed where mechanical issues or card-reader panel faults occurred.
- Six low-battery and panel trouble alarms were documented across Saucon Village, Trembley Park, and Taylor Gym, and referred to Life Safety for routine servicing.
- Emergency call box activations on Morton Street at Webster Street and Richards House were canvassed with no persons in distress found; a maintenance request was submitted for a malfunctioning unit at Richards House.
TRAFFIC STOPS & ENFORCEMENT
Traffic Stops:
- On October 5, a traffic stop was conducted at Lower Sayre Park Road and Hill Road for a stop sign violation; a traffic citation was issued.
- On October 6, a traffic stop was conducted at Sayre Drive and Dravo Drive for operating without required headlights, resulting in an underage DUI arrest and criminal charges for assault on first responders.
- Officers issued a verbal warning to a delivery driver blocking traffic at Sayre Drive and Dravo Drive, and issued a parking citation on Trembley Drive for unauthorized parking in an assigned residential stall. Officers also documented two minor unattended parked-car collisions in Zoellner Parking Garage and Sayre Park Village C.
SERVICE & LOGISTICS
Lockouts:
- LUPD assisted students, faculty, and staff with 63 residential room, chapter house, and campus facility lockouts, alongside 4 vehicle lockout assists.
Welfare Checks:
- Officers conducted four "Check Person" calls for student well-being, including connecting a student in crisis with medical care at St. Luke's Hospital following a suicide lifeline call; enforcing an administrative no-contact directive on the third floor of the University Center; checking the well-being of an ill off-campus roommate on Taylor Street; and verifying the safety of an individual in a Brodhead Avenue parking lot.
Assistance & Medical:
- Completed two vehicle battery jump-starts, one financial deposit escort for the University Center, one hospital courtesy transport from St. Luke's Hospital, and responded to four residential medical calls (one hospital transport, three medical refusals). Officers also assisted a student whose pet cat suffered seizures and required emergency transport to a veterinary hospital, and logged seven found property items into safekeeping.
TRENDS & LESSONS LEARNED
- Tailgating and Exterior Door Security: Multiple unauthorized entries occurred this week—including an individual sleeping inside Zoellner Arts Center and non-affiliated groups entering Taylor Gym—due to unlatched doors or individuals piggybacking behind authorized cardholders. Student leaders and campus organizations are strongly encouraged to remind peers never to prop exterior doors or allow unverified visitors into secure residential or recreational spaces.
- Promoting Safe Harbor Awareness: Student leadership is urged to continually promote the Safe Harbor policy across residential and social groups. In any situation involving acute alcohol intoxication or substance distress, seeking immediate medical assistance ensures prompt care without fear of disciplinary probation.
- Kitchen Safety and Fire Alarms: Unattended cooking and burnt food accounted for 100% of dispatched residential fire alarms this week. Residents are reminded to remain present while cooking and ensure stove ventilation is activated to prevent unnecessary emergency dispatches and building evacuations.