Columbia student charged with hurling unlit Molotov cocktail from dorm window

New York City police on Tuesday said they arrested a Columbia University student who chucked an unlit Molotov cocktail out of his dorm window.

Authorities said they took Javen Jovero, 22, into custody on weapons and reckless endangerment charges Monday night after the senior student tossed the makeshift firebomb on the Ivy League school’s East campus.

Police said several panicked students called the department at about 8:30 p.m. Monday after witnessing the plastic bottle filled with rubbing alcohol and a sock thrown from the window.

Authorities said no one was injured, as the suspect didn’t ignite the weapon before flinging it from his 14th-floor room.

Mr. Jovero, an electrical engineering student, was taken to a hospital for a psych evaluation, then charged with the crimes.

Police said they don’t believe Monday’s incident was related to the school’s anti-Israel demonstrations that have flared up since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on the Jewish state.

“This was an isolated incident with no other individuals involved,” a Columbia spokesperson told the New York Post. “A full investigation is underway, and the university’s rules and policies will be applied and enforced.”