PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Temple University student accused of impersonating a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on campus has been suspended and is in police custody.
Philadelphia police say three people walked inside the Insomnia Cookies on 13th and Cecil B. Moore Avenue around 10 p.m. Saturday. Two, including 22-year-old Aiden Steigelmann, were wearing shirts with "Police" and "ICE" written in white lettering. The third person was filming.
School officials say the group had tried to enter Johnson & Hardwick Residence Hall shortly before Insomnia but were denied access.
According to university officials, Temple Communication Center professionals used campus cameras to locate the car the group had been riding around in. Temple police then identified Steigelmann and took him into custody. He is on interim suspension.
Temple Police say if you have any information on the incident, call 215-204-1234.
As of Sunday, the university says neither Temple’s Department of Public Safety nor the Philadelphia Police Department have any reports of federal ICE agents being on campus.
In a campus announcement, Jennifer D. Griffin, vice president for public safety and chief of police, and Jodi Bailey Accavallo, vice president for student affairs, said it is “deeply troubling and disappointing to know behavior like this reportedly occurred on our campus.”
“Our commitment is to provide a welcoming environment for all our students, faculty and staff, and we will continue to support the Temple community," they said.
The university says support services are available for students at the Tuttleman building on 17th and North Broad streets.