Police: Man Exposed Himself, Touched Woman In Bathroom At Rutgers University Library
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Rutgers University students were on edge Thursday evening, a night after police said a man made his way into a second floor women's bathroom, exposed himself, and groped a woman.
Around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, a man made his way into the second-floor restroom and exposed himself to a woman affiliated with the college, police said. When she called a friend to come in, the suspect touched that woman on the buttocks and then ran off.
In response, the university sent an email warning students to be extra cautious, CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported.
"It's a little scary," senior Deanna Gubner told CBS2's Christine Sloan. "I mean, everyone's kind of studying at the end of the semester for their exams, and then we get this weird email saying that there's someone in the bathroom apparently touching some girl's butt or something. It was just so weird to get the email."
"It's gross, but I don't know how to stop it, because it's a public library," said student Kirsten Passler.
Alexander Library is open to the public until 10 p.m. After that, a Rutgers student ID is required to stay or enter.
CBS2 did not see any security inside the building Thursday, not even near the bathroom.
Students said the area where the incident happened is pretty desolate.
"When you're up in the stacks, or when you're on the other side of the building on the second floor, there's really nobody there," a student said.
Sources say campus police are looking through surveillance video to identify the suspect, who is believed to be of Asian Indian descent and about 18 to 21 years old, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and was wearing blue jeans, a light blue shirt with white stripes and black wire-rimmed glasses.
"I would never expect a man to come in there and just expose himself like that," said student Imani Stewart.
"It's really sad," said junior Tatiana Vickerie. "I'm a paying student, and I go here and I deserve to feel safe. It's really difficult being that colleges have such an open campus."
But Jack Skutnik, a martial arts and self-defense expert, said students should know how to protect themselves if they have to.
"You always have to be prepared," Skutnik said. "It's definitely a traumatic situation, and then you're just going to have to take action."
Skutnik said to scream, throw your purse, and do anything that gives you times to flee the situation.
But if the attacker comes at you, it's time to take action.
For self-defense, the best striking technique is to go straight for the nose, to go for the eyes or the throat, or just to raise your palms and warn an assailant to stop.
CBS2 did not see any security inside the building Thursday, not even near the bathroom.
"There's a lot of times where homeless people come up to me in the library and they ask me for things, and I feel like there should be more security," said junior Nadia Boye.
Some say the bathrooms should be for students only, with ID swipe cards.
"If that's something that has to happen in order for it to be safe, it's a sad reality, but I wouldn't mind it happening," Vickerie said.
CBS2 reached out to Rutgers to see if it plans on putting more security inside the library. A spokesperson said the school is not commenting beyond the email.
Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact the Rutgers Police Department's Detective Bureau at 848-932-8025.
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