By: Jake Stark

Civil engineering senior Michael Kronzer never thought someone would break into his home while he was there.

But that’s exactly what happened to him and his roommates early Saturday.

Kronzer and his roommates were in their kitchen just after midnight Saturday when one of his roommates found three men carrying a TV out of the house, he said.

The men dropped the TV and fled after being discovered, Kronzer said. He and his other roommates had no idea the burglary was happening.

“No one even knew what was going on until [his roommate] called us,” he said.

Kronzer and his roommates were not the only University of Minnesota students whose homes were broken into last week — four others were burglarized near campus, according to Minneapolis police reports.

The burglaries began late Wednesday night, when three homes near the Como Student Community Cooperative were broken into, the reports said. In all three cases, suspects broke into the homes through unlocked windows.

The other burglary occurred Thursday night in an apartment near the University Fieldhouse, according to the report. Police again found that there was no forced entry into the room. The burglars took the victims’ laptops and iPod.

The rash of burglaries didn’t surprise Minneapolis crime prevention specialist Nick Juarez.

More burglaries tend to occur during spring because people open up their homes more often, he said.

“When people are home, they think ‘Oh yeah, we can leave the door open because we’re home,’” he said. “Well, some of these places are so big you can be upstairs or downstairs and not hear people breaking in.”

To prevent break-ins, Juarez said residents should keep their doors and windows locked at all times, even when they’re home.

Kronzer said he and his roommates learned their lesson from the break-in.

“I had no idea anyone would be bold enough to come into a house when people were home,” he said. “Keep your doors locked.”

Two men assaulted near Como

Two men were assaulted on Como Avenue Southeast near Van Cleve Park early Saturday, according to a Minneapolis police report.

The victims, who are not affiliated with the University, were walking home from a party when three men jumped and beat them, the report said. Both were punched in the face multiple times, and one was knocked unconscious.

The suspects fled the scene before police arrived, the report said. Paramedics transported one victim, who was knocked unconscious, to the University Medical Center.

The victims had confronted the suspects earlier in the night at a party, the report said. The suspects tried to enter a party they had not been invited to, and the victims told them to leave.