A student wakes up to find a burglar standing above her bed; food delivery driver arrested

HAMDEN, Connecticut (WTNH) – A Connecticut man was arrested after he allegedly broke into the off-campus home of a Quinnipiac University student and attempted to break into another’s home in Hamden on Tuesday evening.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., Hamden police responded to the student’s residence near the main campus of Quinnipiac University (QU). The student was at home when someone tried to force open a window, police said. She told police the suspect fled after shining a flashlight at the window. The suspect never entered her home.

Shortly after, officers responded to a similar call at a nearby house. Another QU student reported that a suspect entered her residence through an unlocked back door while she was sleeping. She woke up to the suspect standing at the foot of her bed. The suspect fled when the woman started screaming, police said.

No one was injured in either incident.

Hamden Police found the suspect’s vehicle in the neighborhood and attempted to stop it, but it took off and led the police in pursuit. Police caught the suspect – later identified as Adiel Viana-Ribeiro, 24, of Bridgeport – on I-84. Officers say they found evidence in his car.

Police say Viana-Ribeiro delivers food and drives passengers for app-based service companies. They say he specifically targeted homes where he previously made deliveries to women.

He is charged with the following:

• 1st Degree Burglary
• Criminal attempted robbery 1st degree
• 2nd degree criminal mischief
• 6th degree larceny
• Engage the police in the pursuit
• Dangerous driving

In a statement Wednesday evening, QU reminded students and staff to remain vigilant about their safety inside and outside their homes.

Quinnipiac Public Safety Officers perform regular checks of all university owned property to maintain the safety of our student community. We appreciate the quick actions of our students who immediately called Public Safety when they heard a noise outside their home; our officers responded immediately and coordinated with Hamden Police and Connecticut State Police, who investigated and apprehended the suspect shortly thereafter.

We also reminded all members of our university community to adopt good security habits by always securing their residence, whether at home or outside, including locking windows and doors and keeping the dark areas around their house well lit during the evening.

– John W. Morgan, Associate Vice President for Public Relations, Quinnipiac University

Viana-Ribeiro was held on $ 50,000 bond and will appear in court on December 29.