Spring Break
Teen shot north of Drexel Patrol Zone
Noah Cohen
Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: News
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Wallace street, which is four blocks north of Spring Garden Street, is outside Drexel's Public Safety Patrol Zone, and the shooting did not involve any University affiliates, according to Domenic Ceccanecchio, senior associate vice president for Public Safety.
Lt. John Walker of the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives said the victim has not been able to identify the shooter and police are waiting for his medical condition to improve before continuing their questioning.
The victim told police he heard shots and realized he was hit before calling for help. No other specifics about the shooting were known as of midnight Jan. 17, according to police.
The shooting has prompted some students to question their own off-campus safety -although the shooting was four blocks outside the University's patrol zone, the area of the crime is home to students.
Tracey Fruh, a junior majoring in business administration, has lived on 35th Street past Spring Garden Street since March 2007 and estimated that at least 10 homes in her area house Drexel students.
Fruh requested that the specific location of her home not be published.
She said that areas to avoid are not far from her home and added that the pockets of Drexel students could be an attractive target to criminals in the area.
"We are right on the border," she said of her proximity to high crime areas. "I've never had a problem personally but five of our friends have been mugged," Fruh said when asked about area safety.
She said her friends were robbed at 35th and Spring Garden streets. Incident reports as well as past reports in The Triangle confirm the crimes.
However, not all students said they were fearful of crime in the areas north of campus.
Amanda Vitiello, a pre-junior majoring in architectural engineering, said she did not feel unsafe when she lived outside the patrol zone.
Vitiello said she wished Drexel would do more to communicate with students about the realities of living off campus specifically with regard to neighborhood safety.
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