By Julian Feurer

University of Maryland students are expressing concern for on-campus safety after two men were charged in connection to burglaries at South Campus Commons, according to a University of Maryland Police Department Report.

Tyler Alexander Butler, 18, and Amir Christian Short, 19, were charged on Sept. 3 in connection with the Aug. 30 burglaries at South Campus Commons. Despite the charges, some South Campus Commons residents say they remained concerned for their safety.

“I’m glad they’re not around breaking into people’s apartments anymore, but it doesn’t really change the fact that security let it happen in the first place,” said Sienna Gediman, a senior environmental science and policy major and South Campus Commons resident.

Gediman has started taking additional safety measures to protect herself and her property.

“I’ve started locking my actual bedroom door at night instead of just relying on the front door being locked,” Gediman said.

At approximately 4:17 a.m., UMPD responded to the third floor of South Campus Commons #3 to investigate a reported burglary. The resident reported hearing a noise coming from the apartment’s common area. When she went to check the noise, she found a man in the common area, and the suspect immediately left the apartment, according to a University of Maryland Safety Notice.

The UMPD responded again to Commons #3 at approximately 9:52 a.m. for another burglary. Residents reported finding kitchen items on the floor in one of the common areas, according to the UMD Safety Notice.

University of Maryland police officers conducted a witness canvass of nearby apartments. Officers then identified a third residence where, at approximately 7:30 a.m., residents found kitchen items in the living room that were not previously out, according to the UMD Safety Notice.

On Aug. 30, at 4:52 p.m., a UMD Safety Notice was sent to all students detailing the burglaries, along with screenshots of the two suspects. The Safety Alert urged anyone with information or who could identify the suspects to contact the UMPD. 

Following the release of the UMD Safety Notice, the UMPD received two additional reports of residential burglaries and one report of another incident that UMPD investigators verified were connected to the suspects, according to the UMPD report. 

The suspects were soon identified, and on Sept. 3, a UMPD detective applied for charges. Both suspects were charged via a criminal summons and have been charged with five counts of fourth-degree burglary, five counts of common law conspiracy to commit burglary and two counts of trespass on posted property, according to the UMPD report.

These incidents have caused some residents to rethink the security of the buildings.

“Even though we have the swipe access to get in, people can still find their way in,” said senior criminology and criminal justice major and South Campus Commons resident Adrianna Navarro.

Anna Laur, a junior psychology major and South Campus Commons resident, expressed concern about the building’s security systems. 

“I didn’t think people were supposed to be able to unlock other people’s doors, and I thought that they all locked automatically,” Laur said.

UMPD continues to remind residents to lock doors and windows when leaving their residence and when they are settled in. It also urges residents not to hold the door for people they do not know, according to the UMD Safety Notice.

Featured Image: A resident enters South Campus Commons Building 3, the location of the recent break-in, on Sep. 16, 2026. Photo by Paige Trendell.