Schools

Montclair State University Releases New Crime, Fire Statistics

Rapes are down, but dating and domestic violence are both up. Here are some other statistics of interest for students at Montclair State.

Montclair State University has released its latest round of public safety data, which includes crime and fire statistics from 2021 to 2023.
Montclair State University has released its latest round of public safety data, which includes crime and fire statistics from 2021 to 2023. (File Photo: Alex Mirchuk/Patch)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair State University has released its latest round of public safety data, which includes crime and fire statistics from 2021 to 2023.

See the 2024 annual security report with crime statistics here. See the 2024 annual fire safety report here.

CRIMES AT MSU

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The Jeanne Clery Act requires disclosure – submitted each fall – of crime statistics for the three previous calendar years.

According to the latest round of data, there were zero murders, manslaughters, robberies or arsons at the university in 2023 – a number that has remained constant over the past three years. There were three cases of aggravated assault, 11 burglaries and two vehicle thefts.

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There were seven cases of rape reported last year on campus and at MSU residence halls. The university saw 11 rape cases in both 2021 and 2022.

The university also saw 25 cases of “dating violence” last year, which includes verbal arguments and threats of force, and 36 cases of domestic violence. Both of these numbers were up significantly from 2022, when the university saw nine cases of dating violence and 20 cases of domestic violence.

MSU also saw five cases of “stalking” on campus and one case in residence halls. There were four total cases reported in 2022 and one in 2021.

There weren’t any hate crimes, “bias simple assaults” or “bias theft/vandalism” in 2023, the same as the previous two years. However, the university did see two incidents of “bias intimidation” last year, a category that includes anti-racial “harassment or threats to a person.”

FIRES AT MSU

The university’s annual fire safety report is created in compliance with the Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act and state Department of Education’s regulations.

There were four fires reported at MSU in 2023: one each at Hawk Crossings (Accipiter), Hawk Crossings (Buteo), Hawk Crossings (Falco) and Millicent Fenwick Hall.

No injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the above fires, which caused a total of $1,500 in damage.

The causes all involved cooking, with one incident taking place when a t-shirt caught fire and another involving a cleaning rag that was accidentally left in an oven.

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