Three aggravated assaults and one robbery occurred over Halloweekend at Rutgers
The assaults all occurred within three hours of each other
Everyone knows that Halloweekend at Rutgers can get a little crazy, so none of us were particularly surprised when there were more than just one crime alert email in our inboxes this weekend.
The first crime alert was about a robbery that occurred on Friday, October 29, 2016, at approximately 8:30 PM at the Shell Service Center on Easton Avenue. The email reads:
“In this incident the attendant, who is affiliated with the University, was helping a customer who then displayed a knife and demanded the proceeds from the service station. The perpetrator then fled the area in a silver vehicle driving down Prosper Street towards College Avenue. The victim was not physically injured during this incident.”
The perpetrator is described as a tall, thin black male, approximately 6’2″ in height, wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt.”
The first aggravated assault occurred on October 30, 2016 at approximately 1:07 AM in the area of Robinson Street and Hamilton Street. The email states:
“In this incident the victim, who is not affiliated with the University, was struck in the face during a physical altercation and fell to the ground resulting in a transport to a local hospital. Several of the involved parties fled the area prior to police arrival and the description of the perpetrator is limited at this time.”
Shell gas station on Easton Ave
The second incident occurred only an hour after the first: October 30, 2016 at approximately 2:11 AM in the area of Easton Avenue and Condict Street. The email states:
“In this incident the victim, who is not affiliated with the University, reported that he engaged in a verbal dispute with a male which developed into a physical altercation. The victim reported that he was assaulted by three additional males and he was transported to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
One of the perpetrators was described as a light skinned male of Hispanic descent with “French braids” and wearing a white button down shirt. The descriptions of the three remaining perpetrators are limited at this time.”
The third incident occurred on October 30, 2016 at approximately 3:26 AM in the area of Guilden Street between Bristol and Prosper Street.
“In this incident the victim, who is not affiliated with the University, reported that during a physical altercation he was struck in the head with a bottle which resulted in his transport to a local hospital for a non-life threatening injury. The description of the perpetrator is limited at this time.”
The day after the assaults, Chancellor Richard L. Edwards sent out an email detailing “How to be Safe and Enjoy Halloween”, almost as an afterthought. He advised to stay with friends and leave with friends at a party, walk in groups, and to set a drink limit and stick to it.