Content warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault.

An NYU student reported that they were sexually assaulted in the College of Dentistry building around noon on Thursday, Oct. 20. The Department of Campus Safety was informed about the incident at around 12:49 p.m., according to a security alert sent to the university community the next day.

The victim was on the fifth floor of the building when the perpetrator reportedly touched their breast, waist and hips. When other individuals entered the area, the unknown perpetrator allegedly left.

The victim described the suspect as male-presenting and in their late 30s with short black hair and a dark complexion. The suspect was allegedly wearing a black sweatshirt with a hood, black sweatpants and a red surgical mask, and has not yet been identified by Campus Safety.

The College of Dentistry is located on 24th Street between First and Second Avenue, slightly removed from NYU’s main Washington Square campus.

Last month, two students reported separate incidents of sexual assault in Washington Square Park. One student reported that they were grabbed by the butt, and about 10 minutes later, the other student reported that they were grabbed on the thigh. The two students gave similar descriptions of the perpetrator, but Campus Safety did not confirm whether the incidents were connected.

In a separate string of incidents during August and September 2021, two students were groped by an assailant who was later arrested. Only two of the four incidents are listed in the university’s crime log, though all four were communicated through Campus Safety alerts.

NYU is required to comply with the Clery Act, a federal law that requires higher education institutions to document and report crimes that occur within campus boundaries. Nine groping incidents were recorded in 2020 in the university’s annual security report — the latest available data.

Some streets, sidewalks and public spaces adjacent to NYU facilities are included in the Clery Act, counting as off-campus locations. Many incidents that involve students near campus are not reported, as they do not fall within official campus boundaries.

Contact Abby Wilson at [email protected].