On Nov. 3, Sacred Heart Public Safety notified the community about a possible reported incident on Doreen Drive in Bridgeport via email. Rumors and speculations ran wild through group chats and word of mouth among the student body about an armed hold-up and robbery at a student’s house.
With the mounting concern about whether a robbery occurred, Sacred Heart Public Safety reached out to the Bridgeport Police Department and sent an email to the student body. “The Public Safety Department has received telephone calls in regards to a rumor of a possible armed hold up on Doreen Drive Bridgeport, CT. Public Safety has reached out to the Bridgeport Police Department and they confirmed that there had not been any reports of this incident occurring. If you have any further information, please contact the Public Safety Office.”
Through the information that was circulating off campus, many students were alarmed at the situation.
“I live three streets away, and one of my roommates has a friend that lives on Doreen, so we were definitely worried about our safety. Four young girls living alone, and our security system was conveniently broken that day too,” said junior Emily Zizzadoro.
Reports of crime occurring close to campus is nothing new to students, but with false speculations and unconfirmed stories in the past, some students questioned the validity of this particular robbery rumor.
“In the beginning I was worried because we didn’t know how much of the story was real or if there was actually a gun. Once we had our alarm set and knew all the doors were locked we felt safer. We also have a ring doorbell which gives my house that extra level of comfort,” said senior Kaitlin Corso.
Students in the surrounding neighborhood also found out that prior to the Doreen Street street speculation, an actual robbery took place that was reported on the Ring security app and not related to Sacred Heart students.
“My neighbors got robbed the day before the robbery rumor on Doreen Street and had two PlayStations taken. Apparently, they found out two other families on our street had been robbed this month too,” said Zizzadoro.
Other off-campus students have started to become more aware of similar incidents that concerned them.
“Within the past year on Old Town Road similar incidents have happened, such as strangers going around with flashlights looking into students’ homes, particularly female students, as well as strangers just standing on people’s properties with no reason,” said senior Ashley Shanley.
Some students said they are also concerned with the way misinformation spreads amongst the school population.
“I think rumors and misinformation spread rapidly because of the nature of stories. With the information being passed around, its details are bound to get misconstrued, especially over text,” said senior Hailey King.
Many students live off campus and may look at the rumors and realities differently.
“Rumors and misinformation that get spread around when these things happen can give potential off-campus students additional anxieties. In reality, living off campus is not that bad, as long as everyone is smart; your neighbors can be some of the kindest people,” said junior Autumn Garofola.
