**‘The Allston Foot Intruder’: 19-Year-Old Nerdy Local Man Arrested in Creepy Series of Break-Ins Targeting College Students’ Feet**
*By Emily R. Hargrove, Globe Staff*
**BOSTON** — Boston police announced Monday the arrest of Miles Whitaker, a 19-year-old Allston resident described by neighbors as a quiet, awkward “computer nerd” who rarely left his family’s basement apartment, in connection with at least a dozen nighttime break-ins in the Brighton neighborhood over the past 18 months.
Investigators say Whitaker, who has no prior criminal record, specifically targeted off-campus housing shared by male college students attending Boston College, Boston University, and other local schools. He allegedly entered through unlocked doors or windows in the early morning hours, made his way to the victims’ bedrooms, and gently played with or caressed their bare feet while they slept — never stealing valuables, never harming anyone, and fleeing quietly when discovered.
The case bears striking similarities to the unsolved “Boston Tickler” incidents reported around Boston College more than a decade ago, though police emphasize this appears to be a separate, more recent spree with a younger perpetrator who honed in exclusively on college-aged men.
“This was not about theft or violence — it was something far more peculiar and invasive,” said Boston Police Superintendent Michael Sullivan at a press conference. “Whitaker allegedly fixated on the feet of sleeping young men. He would kneel at the foot of the bed, hold their soles, trace his fingers along them, sometimes for several minutes, before slipping away into the night.”
Several victims, who asked not to be named because of the personal nature of the crimes, described waking up to the unsettling sight of a slight, bespectacled figure with messy brown hair hunched over their feet in the moonlight. One Boston College senior living on Foster Street told police he awoke around 4 a.m. last October to find Whitaker “intently studying and massaging” his feet with both hands, an expression of weird, intense fascination on his face.
“I thought I was dreaming at first,” the student said. “He didn’t run right away. He just looked up at me with these big eyes behind his glasses, like he was embarrassed but couldn’t stop. Then he bolted.”
Another victim, a 21-year-old BU junior, reported similar encounters on two separate occasions. “No money was missing. My laptop was right there. It was just… my feet,” he said. “It felt like some weird, personal violation by this total stranger who seemed almost harmless — until you realized he’d broken into your house while you were asleep.”
Police say DNA evidence recovered from one scene, combined with surveillance footage from a neighboring home and a tip from a vigilant resident who spotted Whitaker lingering near student housing, led to his identification and arrest early Sunday morning without incident at his Allston home.
Neighbors described Whitaker, a former community college student who dropped out last year, as a socially awkward loner who spent most of his time on his computer and rarely interacted with anyone. “He was the kid who always had his head down, glasses sliding down his nose, carrying around those big sci-fi novels,” said one longtime Allston resident. “Never would’ve guessed something like this.”
A search of Whitaker’s electronics reportedly uncovered extensive digital files related to foot fetish content, with a noted preference for images and videos of college-aged men. Authorities believe his obsession drove him to act out his fantasies in real life, choosing unlocked student rentals in Brighton because they were easy targets for someone familiar with the neighborhood’s layout from late-night walks.
Whitaker is charged with multiple counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, as well as indecent assault and battery. He is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing. His attorney declined to comment.
The case has rattled students across Boston’s college campuses, prompting renewed warnings about home security and the importance of locking doors and windows — even in “safe” neighborhoods.
“These weren’t random crimes,” Sullivan added. “This was a very specific, very strange pattern targeting young men who were simply trying to get a good night’s sleep after classes and exams. We’re grateful it’s over.”
Police continue to investigate whether Whitaker may be linked to similar unreported incidents going back several years. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Boston Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit.
*Globe correspondent Sarah Kline contributed to this report.*
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