Adolescent thugs have Penn on edge

Pedestrians in University City are being extra vigilant of late due to a string of assaults and robberies by roving groups of juvenile boys.

Some students said they feel vulnerable walking in the area where people on foot have been attacked.

"I bought a new bike and now ride home every day from campus, and that makes me feel a lot safer," Hualei Zhang, a biomedical engineering graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, said yesterday.

No specific group is believed responsible for the crimes, which have been committed by random groups of two to eight boys roughly between the ages of 9 to 13, said Karima Zedan, a spokeswoman for Penn's division of public safety.

Zhang said she's had problems around campus. "Sometimes I play tennis down at the tennis courts, and these young kids break in and steal all our tennis balls," she said.

Pat Kozak, an administrative coordinator in the political science office, said a graduate student she knows was attacked by one of the groups earlier in the summer.

"It was Mother's Day, and she was talking on her cell phone to her mother. These kids came up and punched her in the face, fracturing her jaw. I think they took her phone," Kozak said.

Since July 3, two robberies, one theft, two assaults, and one indecent assault have been reported in the area between 30th and 43d Streets and Market Street and Baltimore Avenue. No weapons were used.

On July 7, two boys, ages 13 and 16, were arrested in connection with a robbery at 42d and Locust Streets.

The bands of adolescents have struck mostly between 4:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. in the 3700 block of Locust Walk and the 4000 and 4200 blocks of Locust Street, according to a campus security alert.

University officials said the victims were students, residents, faculty and staff members.

Maureen S. Rush, vice president for public safety, released a statement Monday that said campus security would step up overt and covert patrols in the area.

Many people said they would not change their routines as a result of the crime alert but would keep their eyes open when around campus.

"I think people just need to keep alert, put themselves in a position to duck into a shop or classroom if they need to, and walk around with other groups of students," said Marian Moseley, a student and social worker at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.