Five thefts on and near campus have been reported to the University of Minnesota Police Department since Thursday.
A phone was stolen at the University of Minnesota Recreation and Wellness Center on Friday. The victim, Craig Van Bruggen, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, said he put his phone down while listening to music through Bluetooth headphones.
Once he couldn’t hear his music, he realized his phone was out of range, he said.
Van Bruggen tracked the phone using his phone’s built-in GPS and followed the suspect to an apartment complex on the corner of Sixth Street Southeast and 11th Avenue Southeast. Van Bruggen was unable to enter the apartment complex, and police were unable to provide help without a room number.
“I have a newfound distrust of the student body,” said Van Bruggen after the incident.
Auto and bike thefts
A car was stolen outside of the Stadium Village Burger King on Sunday after the owner left it running to go into a restaurant, police records show. According to the report, the owner told police he was in the restaurant for a short time and when he came out, his vehicle was gone.
Two bikes were reported stolen, one near Hanson Hall and another near Middlebrook Hall. Neither case has suspect information, police records show.
A laptop was stolen from a locked vehicle outside of the Carlson School of Management on Friday, according to police reports.