Frequently Asked Questions about the Search for Missing TCNJ Freshman John Fiocco Jr.

What is the Current Status of the Investigation?

John Fiocco Jr. was reported missing on Sunday, March 26, at approximately 2:40 p.m. He was last seen at 3 a.m. on Saturady, March 25, in Wolfe Hall. Since that time, TCNJ Campus Police, the New Jersey State Police, and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office have been conducting a search and investigation that was initially focused on the College's campus. On Friday, March 31, law enorcement agencies announced they had recovered, in a dumpster, blood that was matched through DNA analysis to John. The focus of the investigation has since moved to two landfills in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

how has the college communicated developments to members of the campus community?

Using mass e-mail as the primary means of communication, TCNJ has provided students, parents (for whom e-mail addresses are known), faculty, and staff members with daily, and often more frequent, updates of all confirmed and reliable information. President R. Barbara Gitenstein has repeatedly stressed the need to avoid speculation and to share all information in an honest and timely manner. Prospective students and their parents have also been notified through a letter from the Office of Admissions and two information sessions conducted by President Gitenstein during Accepted Students Day on Sunday, April 2. The College will continue to share all verifiable information, as it is learned, and the New Jersey State Police will update the status of the investigation as is appropriate. TCNJ has also communicated directly to students through Student Life staff and has created multiple opportunities for interaction among campus community members so that they can share feelings and ask questions.

Are Support Services Available to members of the campus community?

Several announcements sent to students, parents (for whom e-mail addresses are known), faculty, and staff members have shared information regarding the many support services provided by the College, including counseling, and have encouraged community members to direct those in need to the appropriate offices.

Are there concerns about campus safety?

The law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation, particularly the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, have repeatedly stated that TCNJ has both a strong police force and security measures as well as their belief that this is an isolated incident which does not present any further threat to the campus. President Gitenstein understand, however, that this is an anxious time and issued the following statement regarding campus security:

During tragic times, like this, we all search for answers and want someone to blame. I feel exactly the same as all of you and am angered beyond words that this has occurred within our community. I cannot say with strong enough emphasis that nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of our students. I am very confident, however, in our Campus Police and the security measures we employ at TCNJ. The Mercer County prosecutor has gone out of his way to express similar confidence as well as his belief that this is an isolated incident that does not present further threat to our campus. I believe it is important, however, to share the following information with our campus community in light of the heightened emotions that we are all experiencing.

• TCNJ’s Office of Campus Police Services is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, year round. We regularly employ twenty-one (21) fully trained, commissioned, and armed law enforcement officers, as well as nine (9) civilian security officers who conduct communications activities and supplemental foot patrols in the campus’ residential areas.The staff rotates through three shifts in a 24-hour period (7 am to 3 pm; 3 pm to 11 pm; and 11 pm to 7 am).
• Campus Police officers at TCNJ have the same power and authority as all other commissioned police officers in the state of New Jersey.  As such, they perform routine patrols, answer various calls for service, perform security assessments and surveys, respond to alarms and medical needs, enforce motor vehicle regulations, handle traffic enforcement, perform investigations of criminal activity, take reports, provide escorts, conduct educational programs, and steadfastly protect the community they serve.
• TCNJ is a campus that welcomes members of its extended community, so they can benefit from what we have to offer.  Safety and security, however, are our highest priority.  This is evident in the maintenance of an armed police force that performs mixed methods of patrol, as well as the established procedures and equipment in place to provide access control into all campus buildings and rooms. This includes various building and system alarms, electronic card-swipe access, digital video management systems in facilities, required guest sign-ins, emergency telephones, campus lighting, managed landscaping, and more.
• Security plans are compromised when specific details are not confidential, so, for the welfare of our campus community, I simply must refrain from divulging sensitive information. I will tell you, though, that we regularly review all our procedures and collaborate with various law enforcement agencies to assure that our strategies are current and complete. We also adjust procedures to meet the needs of specific or unusual circumstances.