A student at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, was reportedly sexually assaulted at the campus library, and police are searching for the person who did it.
As investigators look for the individual — described as a male around 19-years-old with a thin build, who may have approached other female students — police are ramping up patrols around the library and other areas he may have been.
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The female student reported the assault over the weekend, saying that it happened Wednesday morning in the library, when she was approached by the male. He reportedly started up a conversation, before making physical contact "that escalated into a sexual assault," according to a statement from a university spokesperson.
Investigators learned after her report, that other female students have been approached at other places on campus by someone with a similar physical description.
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"The safety of the campus community is paramount, and the university is working with public safety partners to locate the individual described in the reported assault on campus, and our community members will see a heightened police presence around these public locations while this investigation continues," the university spokesperson's statement said.
The university noted that the campus has spaces that are open to the public, being a public institution.
Anyone with information that could be helpful to the investigation has been asked to call university police at 978-665-3111.
