Claire Herquet, Editor 

Philadelphia Police were active on La Salle’s campus early Friday morning, Sept. 26, responding to a nearby carjacking, according to various alerts sent to students, parents, faculty and staff via text message and email. 

According to an email issued by La Salle Public Safety, around 2:15 a.m. a car was stolen off-campus by two Black men dressed in all black clothing, reportedly not affiliated with La Salle. The suspects were pursued by police to 20th and Olney, where the vehicle was abandoned in front of Connelly Library, and a transformer pole was destroyed in the process. The perpetrators fled the scene, running through both Main and South campuses. Students were ordered to shelter in place and instructed to call 911 if they heard anything suspicious or potentially helpful to halt the situation. 

At 3:11 a.m. another message was sent to the community, advising everyone to remain sheltered in place. PECO was responding to power outages in the North Residence Halls. About 10 minutes later, an additional alert confirmed that the outage was affecting the entire campus. 

Police completed their search for the carjacking suspects and determined there was no longer a threat to residents or those in surrounding areas. The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 3:41 a.m. However, Public Safety reported that 20^th Street remained closed between Belfield Avenue and Olney Avenue due to downed wires. 

At 5:54 a.m., the University announced a two-hour delay for all classes and non-essential personnel. Power outages in select areas continued until approximately 7:40 a.m., followed by a notice that all classes would be canceled for the day. Internet services remained down until 11:00 a.m., and full restoration of electricity and Wi-Fi across campus was not achieved until noon. 

Even before the official cancellation of classes, many students expressed fear and hesitation about attending classes that day, citing safety concerns and uncertainty surrounding the incident. 

Friday’s events show persistent concerns about student safety in the neighborhoods surrounding the University. While Public Safety officers and Philadelphia Police regularly patrol university grounds, responsibility for off-campus areas falls to local authorities, posing additional challenges in maintaining safety beyond La Salle’s avenues. To stay in the loop of any potentially dangerous incidents in or around areas of La Salle University, download the Rave Guardian app and sign up for the La Salle emergency notification alerts at lasalle.edu/alerts.