Intruder follows students into Speakman hallway

Two students were followed into the Quadrangle Saturday evening by an unidentified male intruder. The man was later arrested by University Police on trespassing charges. College sophomore Chris Metcalfe said he entered the main gate of the Quad with Engineering freshman E.J. Poplawski when he noticed the man. The man followed Metcalfe through the Quad to the Speakman section door and entered behind him, he said. "He didn't seem like he belonged there, but we figured he was visiting someone," he added. The man followed them up the stairs, and stopped when they got to Metcalfe's fourth floor room, he said. Metcalfe said he asked the man if he could help him, but the man said no. "At this point, me and E.J. started to get nervous," he said. Through a series of questions, the students found out that the man was 31-years-old, had no PENNcard and visited the Quad frequently. Poplawski said the two asked the man what he was doing there, and he said he had just walked in. Metcalfe added that the man identified himself as "Claude." "His behavior was not such that either of us felt threatened," he said. "But it was weird that he never took his hands out of his pockets." Poplawski said he stalled the man with small talk while Metcalfe, who entered his dorm room, quietly alerted authorities. "Chris called the University Police as I kept talking to [Claude] trying to keep him there," he said. The two students talked to the man for five minutes until the police arrived at the scene, Metcalfe said. He added that the officers asked the man to remove his hands from his pockets and proceed to frisk him. College freshman and fourth floor Speakman resident Jay Weintraub said the man acted in a very normal manner. "I couldn't believe how comfortable he was here," he said. He added that students were lucky that no one was hurt or injured, adding that they may not be so fortunate in the future. "The odds are that next time something might happen, and it's that next time that I am worried about," he said. Metcalfe said they were questioned by an officer after the man was put into the squad car. He added that he was satisfied with the way the police handled with the situation. "The officer did a really good job in how she dealt with him," he said. "The situation could have been confrontational, but it wasn't." University Police Sergeant Joseph Risoli confirmed that a male was found on the fourth floor of Speakman Saturday night. He said the man was arrested and issued a citation for trespassing. The man already had a warrant out for his arrest on similar counts, he added. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said last night she was unaware of the situation.