The University police arrested a man early Sunday morning several minutes after he broke into the master's residence at North House, setting off a alarm system.

Keith M. Jackson, a 27-year-old Cambridge man was charged with burglary and possession of burglary tools after officers apprehended him at 12:30 a.m. inside the master's residence.

Jackson allegedly entered the house after shattering a sliding glass door, Hanna M. Hastings, co-master of North House, said yesterday, adding that she and J. Woodland Hastings, co-master of North House, were at home when the break-in occured.

Hastings said Jackson knew they were at home, but she added that "the police were there so quickly he didn't have time to do anything."

Hastings complimented the University Police for their quick response to the alarm, saying that their efficiency represented good security at the Quad.

The police responded to a silent alarm signal, Saul L. Chafin, chief of University Police said yesterday, adding that the break-in occurred while the security guards who patrol the area were changing shifts.

"One or two guards would not necessarily have prevented the incident," Chafin said, adding that the absence of security guards at the scene was not an indictment of Quad safety.

"It's a combination--we supplement the cruiser patrols with the guards and supplement the guards with the electronic systems," Chafin said.

The break-in is the second forced entry into a master's residence in two weeks. Police apprehended another man September 15 in the Eliot House courtyard after he entered the residence from a second floor window