SJSU Student Says She Texted For Help During Alleged Sexual Assault
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – One of two women who reported being sexually assaulted by a San Jose State University student last month said she was texting for help during the attack.
The alleged attacks happened at an off-campus party Labor Day weekend.
The student told the Mercury News she was trapped inside a pitch black bedroom, thrown down and attacked. She texted for help until she was able to escape.
According to the newspaper, she met the freshman water polo player that night for the first time, and he lured her inside the house.
"He kept forcing me to do stuff, over and over again," the alleged victim said. "I kept telling him, 'I have no idea who you are. I'm not going to do this to you.'"
Students on campus only learned of the case this week, which has raised questions about the university's response.
"I felt like it should have been something that they should have informed us about when it happened, in the moment, not almost a month after it happened." Student Anayeli Gomez told KPIX 5.
"They should have let us know when it happened, because what if it would have happened to another person," said Hennessey Hernandez, another SJSU student.
A third student, Isela Olague, told KPIX 5, "That's why people are scared to come out and say something, because the guy gets no punishment."
The suspect, an international student, has not been formally identified or charged with a crime and has apparently left the country.
San Jose State sent out its first message to students Wednesday, stating that the international student was placed on temporary suspension, barred from campus and ordered to stay away from victims.
"The totality of information available at the time - including the fact that the suspect had been identified and was being closely monitored - led to the determination that there was no imminent safety threat," said SJSU president Mary Papazian.
That's not good enough for some students, who say now they are extra alert.
"You have to be careful with who you hang out with now and who you can trust while you're out," Gomez said.
Two weeks after the first alleged victim came forward, a second student reported she was also attacked by the suspect in a similar way.
The District Attorney's office is investigating and the school says it is reviewing protocols for how it handles such cases.