On Feb. 28, 2024 at 6:25 p.m., a campus-wide RAVE alert was sent out to St. John Fisher University students and parents, instructing all individuals on-campus to shelter in place. According to a second message sent at 7:22 p.m., authorities were searching for a suspicious person, however there were no reported injuries at that time. It was later revealed that 19-year-old and first-year student Shalom Mathews was arrested after attempting to stab a staff member.
An employee of SJFU stated that Mathews walked into her office at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy at 5:25 p.m. in distress, claiming that he was a commuter who was afraid to go home due to possible retribution from his father for failing grades. When the employee attempted to provide on-campus mental health resources, Mathews pulled a knife from his pocket. The victim was able to disarm the knife and force Mathews out of the room. A public statement alleged Mathews intended to make sexual advances on the victim.
Later, court paperwork revealed that law enforcement had begun a presence on campus around 5:30 p.m. in search of Mathews. The shelter-in-place, which prevented people from leaving or entering the campus without inspection of their cars, initially occurred at 6:25 p.m.. Students remained in lockdown until 9:05 p.m., but police stayed on campus through the night to continue their investigation.
Mathews was arrested on Jefferson Road in Henrietta on Feb. 29 at 12:30 a.m. and is facing charges of Attempted Kidnapping in the Second-degree and Attempted Sex Abuse in the First-degree. At this moment, Mathews is being held on $70,000 cash bail.
Fisher’s Trauma, Illness, and Grief (TIG) team has been activated and can be contacted for additional services and resources. The Health and Wellness Center is available for support and can be reached at (585) 385-8280. Employees can reach out to the Employee Assistance Program at (585) 276-9110.
Authorities say that individuals who had previous suspicious contact with Mathews should call 911.
Additional Resources and Information:
https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/large-police-presence-at-saint-john-fisher-university/
