Morgenstern Hall Suffers Small Fire
At approximately 12:03 AM, on Tuesday October 26th, someone who may have just been bored and thinking it funny, set fire to papers on the bulletin board in the middle of the 2nd floor of the Morgenstern dormitory. Yeshiva University’s Head of Safety and Security, Mr. Donald Sommers, clarified the details of the unfortunate incident and addressed the university’s plans to deal with the crime. Mr. Sommers explained that the Yeshiva security team has been working closely with the local Police Department of Washington Heights in an ongoing investigation of the pyromaniac.
Mr. Sommers went on to add that if and when the perpetrator is apprehended, he will be arrested by police authorities, presumably for arson in the 2nd degree. This crime implicates those that intentionally damage a building by starting a fire. When other persons that are not involved in the crime are present in the building, the charge becomes a class B felony in New York, which entails a punishment of up to 25 years in prison. The perpetrator of the crime may also be subject to menacing in the 3rd degree which involves intent of placing a person in fear of death, imminent serious physical injury, or general physical injury, which is a class B misdemeanor and carries with it a maximum punishment of six months. In this instance, as soon as students on the second floor of Morgenstern saw the fire, they immediately put it out. Fire procedures dictated that that the entire building be vacated and several guards went through the dormitory to ensure that the fire was completely taken care of. The investigation is still ongoing and YU is still pursuing the culprit.
The head of the YU security also stated that Yeshiva’s security team is keen on keeping everyone safe from fire, especially during the holiday of Chanukah which is soon approaching and coincides with Thanksgiving this year.
If anyone has any additional information about the incident please call the YU Security Department at 212-960-5221. All calls will be kept confidential.
