Suspect arrested in attempted burglary of TCU student’s off-campus apartment, police say

Fort Worth police have arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of attempted burglary after authorities said he was seen trying to break into a student’s residence south of the TCU campus, according to a news release.

Alex Alvarez, 25, was arrested Wednesday and faces a charge of attempted burglary of a residence. Police allege he and another man tried to break into a TCU student’s home in the 3100 block of Sandage Avenue. TCU police said one of the men was believed to have been carrying a gun during the attempted break-in, according to surveillance video.

Alvarez was seen on security camera footage from the home that helped police identify and arrest him, according to the news release.

TCU police said in a social media post about the attempted break-in that a man tried to open the back door of the apartment building around 4 a.m., though police did not say what day the break-in happened. The post came less than two weeks after TCU police warned of a night prowler in neighborhoods south of campus.

According to a separate social media post, no crimes were committed in the earlier incidents but police wanted students to call 911 if they saw anything suspicious.

Fort Worth police said they worked with authorities with TCU’s department to make the arrest.

Residents told the Star-Telegram they haven’t felt safe in the neighborhood around the 3100 block of Sandage for some time. Items left in back yards of the houses, which have been largely converted into apartments for fraternity and sororities, are regularly stolen, students said. Some said they chain their grills and propane tanks to the building to prevent them from being stolen.

The attempted burglary was a breaking point for some — students said they and their parents worked together to hire private security to patrol the alley behind the homes at night.