After the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team took home the win in the NCAA Championship, the UConn Storrs campus exploded in celebration. It came with vandalism on campus.
As the buzzer ran down, the cheers ramped up. Thousands of students sprinted to main campus to rejoice in the big W.
The vast majority of students poured out of Gampel Pavilion and other watch parties to celebrate the Huskies' victory safely and responsibly, according to a UConn spokesperson. Nonetheless, light poles were torn down in the center of campus, glass shattered in windows, fires were set in dumpsters and on wooden benches, and a car was flipped, according to the University.
“Oh my God, it's mad house,” Bradford Corrado, a UConn Senior, said Monday night.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“They set things on fire, flipped cars,” Ralph Williams, a UConn Senior, added.
On Monday night, students climbed onto rooftops with light poles near the Student Union, and threw those poles down near gathered crowds. One student running nearby tripped and fell over a pole on the sidewalk.
“This is mayhem. It’s crazy,” NaShawn Livingston, a UConn freshman, said.
Local
As UConn police pushed back on crowds, other students just hoping to take in a festive atmosphere decided to keep their distance.
“I feel like we've gotten past the point of celebratory and this is kind of turned into chaos,” Luckson Saturne, a UConn freshman, said Monday night.
On Tuesday, those same students surveyed the damage.
“Never underestimate the power of riled up fans, sports fans, man. College students,” Livingston said, looking at a downed light pole and expired wires alongside Saturne. “I don't even know how to feel, it's like crazy. Definitely concerned.”
The two freshman watched as UConn facilities and operations crews documented and cleaned up the damage.
“I also feel for the workers because they had to work just excruciating long hours just to repair all the glass and just do all the cleanup,” Saturne said.
UConn said the cost of the destruction is still being evaluated.
In a statement, the university says in part:
“A small number chose to risk their safety and that of others by vandalizing or destroying property after the game. UConn Police will investigate the vandalism and other potential criminal offenses that occurred. Those responsible will face arrest and, if they are students, sanctions up to and including expulsion.”
According to UConn, 15 people were arrested following Monday night’s win and charged with various crimes. Another 16 people were transported to area hospitals. None had significant injuries.
“It's like a very wrong instance, and someone gets sent to the hospital,” Livingston said.
As the men’s team returned to campus and festivities continue, Livingston and Saturne hope their classmates will bask in victory in the spirit of safety and unity.
“They were coming together, which was kind of nice,” Saturne said. “Just to see is the campus come together as a whole.”
UConn adds that despite vandalism on campus, classes and academic operations went on Tuesday as regularly scheduled.
