By Kirstin MaguireThe Daily Northwestern
Evanston police are searching for a man who allegedly forced a Northwestern student into her apartment Tuesday night and raped her, said Deputy Chief Joseph Bellino of the Evanston Police Department.
The 22-year-old student was alone at about 11:25 p.m. as she tried to enter the front door of her apartment building on the 1200 block of Simpson Street, only a few blocks from NU’s campus, when a man approached her from behind, according to an EPD press release.
The man put his hand across her mouth and pushed her into the entryway of the apartment, Bellino said. He then ordered her to open the door to her apartment.
The attacker threatened to kill the woman if she screamed, Bellino said. He demanded money and walked her through her apartment as he looked for valuables. As they went through the apartment, he stood behind the student so she could not see his face and he also pulled an article of clothing over her face.
The man then took the woman into a bedroom, where he raped her, Bellino said. Before leaving, he tied her hands behind her back with a telephone cord and took her cell phone with him.
The woman then called the police and was taken to Evanston Hospital, where she was treated in the emergency room and released, according to the police statement.
Police said the suspect is described to be of medium build, between 5-feet-4 and 5-feet-6 inches tall and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and light-colored pants. The release did not mention whether the attacker was carrying a weapon.
Officers searched the area for the offender and possible witnesses. Crime scene technicians recovered items that could serve as evidence, according to the release.
No additional information or suspects had been found as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Bellino said. He said the attack was “a very unique incident,” citing University Police crime statistics showing only two forcible sexual offenses in 2005 and one in 2004 in the Evanston campus area.
UP has offered its resources to EPD, and both departments will increase their patrols in the area and continue to search for suspects.
“We’re always requesting that students utilize the resources available to them and asking people to report suspicious activity to us and the Evanston police as soon as they see it,” UP Assistant Chief Dan McAleer said.
NU put an alert about the assault on its main Web page at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to inform the campus about the incident, said Alan Cubbage, vice president for university relations. The Office of Student Affairs has been in touch with the victim and her family to offer support and to find alternative housing, he said.
“It’s very unfortunate to have an incident occur to one of our students,” Cubbage said. “We would also continue to urge students strongly to use the SafeRide service and the shuttle bus service as much as possible at night.”
Weinberg senior Melanie Wang, who lives on Pratt Court about two blocks away from where the attack happened, said she passes by the area almost every day. She said it did not seem any less safe before the incident, than other popular off-campus spots.
“There’s a sense of disbelief about it,” Wang said. “I guess I considered because it’s right off of Foster (Street), it’s a pretty central place. If you had to be out late at night, you would just be walking a couple blocks.”
Weinberg junior Jillian Durkin, who lives on the 2100 block of Ridge Avenue, said the area where the incident occurred is not well-lit, which is why she always uses NU transportation at night.
“(The assault) is scary and makes you think twice about walking home alone or even in a small group,” Durkin said. “Sometimes unfortunate things happen, and you have to be extra careful.”
Reach Kirstin Maguire at [email protected].