ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a sketch late Saturday afternoon depicting a man who they say tried to rape a University of Central Florida student at an off-campus apartment complex.
The attack happened around 3 a.m. Saturday at the Arden Villas Apartments on University Boulevard, which is just down the street from the UCF campus, deputies said.
Investigators said as the female student was approaching her door, the man pushed her into her apartment and tried to sexually assault her.
"It's terrifying," said UCF student Brittany Rainone. "We usually don't carry Mace with us, but now we are definitely going to."
The student managed to fight the man off, but before he left the complex he exposed himself to her, deputies said.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office brought in K-9s and a helicopter to search for the attacker, but to no avail.
Rainone said a lot of students walk back from the nearby bars around the time of the attack.
"That's kind of scary. You don't think about that when you're going out and coming home," she said.
The attack comes one day after the Orange County Sheriff's Office and UCF Police Department announced a joint operation to crack down on violent crime near campus.
In this case, the investigation is fully in the hands of OCSO, but UCF police will be on the lookout for the suspect as well.
"She is a fighter," said Lt. Paul Hopkins, with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. "She wants to catch this guy and she's helping us catch this guy. With that composite sketch and the help of the public, we are going to catch this guy. We're going to get him off the street and he's not going to hurt anyone else."
The attacker is described as a white man in his early 20s who is 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build and dark facial hair.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS. Any tips leading to an arrest are eligible for a $1,000 cash reward.