A first-year student and member of the football team remains hospitalized after he fell off a fence late Sunday night.

Witnesses said the accident occurred while the student was fleeing from the Harvard police.

Andrew L. St. Pierre '03, a resident of Danvers, MA., and of Wigglesworth Hall, along with at least two other first-years, was seen attempting to steal license plates off cars along Linden Streets, officials said.

Alerted by a 911 call to the Cambridge Police Department at 11:28 p.m., Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officers began to chase the first-years.

Two of the students heeded police demands to stop, but St. Pierre continued running, turning into parking lot between 10 and 20 DeWolfe Street.

St. Pierre jumped over a wooden fence behind one of the dorms, landing on a ramp below and breaking his jaw and wrist.

The fall was about two stories, more than is apparent from the parking lot.

Standing behind the fence at night, it is nearly impossible to judge the distance of the drop.

The commotion attracted the attention of DeWolfe residents, many of whom had just arrived for a party.

At about 11:30 p.m., students on the 2nd floor of the building looked out their window and saw St. Pierre lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"We called the cops and people went down to see if he was okay," said Vedra M. Chandler '02. "He was conscious and he could hear what we were saying," she said.

A security guard stayed with him until police arrived.

With DeWolfe residents and St. Pierre's friends watching, paramedics loaded him onto a gurney.

He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he remains in fair condition, a hospital spokesperson said last night.

Although police questioned several students about the incident, HUPD officials have not pressed charges.

The duty watch commander declined repeated requests for comment, and HUPD spokesperson Peggy A. McNamara was not available yesterday.

Early Monday morning, HUPD contacted the Freshman Dean's Office, who in turn contacted St. Pierre's parents.

First-year dean Elizabeth Studley Nathans declined to comment yesterday.

St. Pierre, a first-year wide receiver who wears number 88, is affectionately called "a decent kid" by friends.

The football team did not practice today, but many players said they were aware of the incident.