A man presumed homeless has been using the kitchen and bathroom on the third floor of the UW Communications Building.

On Thursday, June 26, at about 3 a.m., a custodian was about to enter the kitchen in Suite 340 in the Communications Building when a man appearing to be homeless rushed out, building supervisor Mahmoud Zubeidi said.

The custodian’s name is not being released due to privacy concerns, said Ralph Robinson, assistant chief of the UW Police Department (UWPD).

The custodian yelled for someone to call the police and a colleague called campus security, Zubeidi said.

By the time the police arrived the man was gone.

Based on the custodian’s description, police said they may be familiar with the man but will not be able to confirm his identity until he is found again.

For several weeks there had been suspicious activities that suggested the possibility someone had been living in the building, Zubeidi said.

“We’ve been having some issues with the building, like missing food, and the whole bathroom’s clearly a mess,” Zubeidi said.

Graduate students who use the kitchen had left notes for the janitor asking where their food was, said Patrick Olsen, an administrator in the Communication department.

Some precautions are being taken to better secure the building. Notices have been sent to graduate students who use the kitchen to make sure they lock up after they leave, Olsen said. Also, the codes on the locks will be changed.

As to how the man was even in the building during closing hours, Zubeidi and Olsen speculated that he hid while the building was being locked at 10 p.m.

“There are numerous places to hide in the building,” Olsen said.

Olsen said he assumes that if the police find the homeless man, charges will be pressed.

While the UWPD is looking for the man, he is not a priority, Robinson said. It would be different if he had molested or assaulted someone, he said.

“If he continues to do this on a regular basis, we’ll probably catch him,” Robinson said.