The University of Arizona campus is on edge after three unsettling incidents of a man trying to grope, follow and abduct women have been reported.
The campus and Tucson police have launched an investigation into finding the suspect or suspects and have asked all attending the campus to remain vigilant.
The three unnerving reports came from women who were all near the campus in Tucson, each incident happening within the same week and within a mile of each other.
One woman told police she was walking near the campus when a man attempted to kidnap her, Tucson Police Department Assistant Chief Christopher Dennison said at a press conference.
She said that as she was walking down the street around 8pm on 7 December she felt as if a vehicle was following her.
A man suddenly parked, then jumped out of the vehicle and grabbed the woman from behind.
While she was physically restrained, she fell on the ground and started to scream, at which point the man ran back to his car and drove off in a hurry.
UAPD Chief Chris Olson said that security presence wil be heightened on the university campus— (ABC15)
A second incident was reported by another woman who told police she was also walking near campus on 6 December at 11am when a vehicle matching the description of the first report alarmingly started to follow her.
On 11 December, a third woman called the police and said while she was walking near the University of Arizona campus, she was groped by a man.
The description of a suspect was released by police to be a Hispanic male, around 5’10” to 6ft tall with a medium to heavy set build and a close buzz cut.
The three crimes were reported within a week of each other in a mile of campus— (KUGN9)
His vehicle was described as a four-door dark blue car, either an early 2000s Toyota Camry or Corolla.
The victims said it had a dented front bumper, tinted windows and a faded or flaky Arizona number plate.
University of Arizona Police Department Chief Chris Olson told the conference that keeping everyone safe is their “number one responsibility” and will be “enhancing its patrol capabilities to provide a higher level of visibility and engagement."
He told campus-goers that they should be aware of their surroundings as they walk on and near campus by wearing only one earphone if they are listening to music, avoiding walking alone or using a walking monitor app, using a taxi service, or calling the campus police for an escort.
A university counselling service has also offered their support to anyone who is affected or is unease by these reports.
The FBI, US Marshal Service, the University of Arizona Police Department, and the Oro Valley Police Department are all assisting in the investigation.
