More than $5,000 worth of merchandise and equipment has been vandalized or stolen from Ohio Stadium.
A breaking and entering was reported at the stadium on Nov. 5, and a police report from the Ohio State Police Department detailed four stolen stereos and TV equipment valued at $2,000.
Fifty-nine pieces of merchandise valued at $1,800 such as hats, sweatshirts and jewelry were stolen from the area, as well as two frames containing six autographed photos of former OSU football players with an unknown value.
The doors of a merchandise kiosk on the Huntington Club level were pried open and broken in the stadium. The vandalized kiosk was valued at $1,000, according to the University Police report.
Two picture frames were also broken to remove photos, valued at $200.
The breaking and entering was reported by a male staff member and is still open for investigation. When exactly the incident happened is unknown, but University Police Deputy Chief Richard Morman said the department might have the trespassers on camera.
Morman said the department was in the process of reviewing several hours of video Tuesday afternoon, and that he was “relatively certain” there were multiple suspects.
Morman said “it appears that entry was gained by someone climbing over the fence” on the outside of the stadium. He said the trespassers gained entry to the public Huntington Club level and broke into “several” suites where they stole some of the items listed in the report.
Morman said during the investigation officers found at least one piece of significant evidence in the area where items were stolen – a hat with a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ logo, a minor league baseball team that is an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and is based out of Appleton, Wis.
Morman said that when there aren’t football games going on, the one gate to the stadium – guarded by athletic department personnel ­- is open during certain times of the day.
University Police randomly check the stadium at night, but Morman said that doesn’t necessarily prevent crime.
“Once they’re inside, you might not see them,” he said.
Morman said that if caught, the trespassers will be charged with breaking and entering. If they are students, they will also face sanctions from Student Conduct.
Peter Olms, coordinator of building services with the OSU Athletic Department, was listed on the police report and declined to comment on the incident Tuesday afternoon, and Dan Wallenberg, athletics spokesman, directed requests to University Police.
Some students said they were concerned about how easily trespassers were able to get into the stadium.
“I’m surprised it was so easy to take stuff. The Horseshoe is a tempting place with a lot of things to take, so I’m surprised they weren’t prepared for this,” said Shamanth Urs, a fourth-year in biomedical engineering.
However, Urs said extra money shouldn’t be allotted to guard the ‘Shoe.
“Money would be better spent on off-campus security. Football gets enough money as it is,” Urs said.
Other students agreed.
“We have better ways to spend our money than to use funds on security around the ‘Shoe. It’s a football issue. If you want more security, take the money out of the football funds,” said John Hardie, a fourth-year in communication.

Ryan Guenther contributed to this article.