An undergraduate student yesterday spotted on a bench in Cambridge Common the intruder who was found naked about a week ago in the Hollis Hall showers.

The student, whose identity the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) would not reveal, reportedly recognized the man from his description in The Crimson and immediately called the Criminal Investigation Unit of the HUPD.

Two detectives responded to the call. They approached the suspect, who spoke to them without a struggle.

"He was very cooperative and somewhat docile," said Peggy A. McNamara, spokesperson for the HUPD. "Based on the [subsequent] interview with the detectives it was determined that he was in fact the male in Hollis Hall."

McNamara described the man as "a 21-year-old from the state of New York who is currently homeless."

Following the conversation, the HUPD notified the first-year female who had originally found the man in the bathroom.

"The police were so great. They called me all the time to make sure I wasn't worried," said the student, who requested anonymity.

According to McNamara, entering a dormitory without authorization is a misdemeanor, but the two detectives decided not to prosecute the man due to extenuating circumstances.

"The detectives [based their decision not to prosecute] on the fact that no one saw how he got into the building...and on information that he has some problems that he is dealing with," McNamara said.

McNamara said that she believes that Harvard students should not feel threatened by the incident.

"There is no threat of violence or physical harm to anyone on campus," McNamara said. "He was not there in a criminal manner....He was just there to clean."

According to McNamara, the man understood that his trespassing was wrong and apologized to the detectives.

"He has promised that he will never go near Harvard University again," McNamara said.

But several of the Hollis students interviewed said that they were concerned that the HUPD did not prosecute the man. The students said that they do not feel any more secure now than before the police spoke with the homeless man.

"I think there should have been some action taken since he was trespassing," Mark C. Bussey '01 said.