ORLANDO, Fla. – Officials from the University of Central Florida Police Department said they are searching for a person who groped a woman on campus Sunday.
Police said the woman, who was a guest of a student, reported being groped from behind around 3:45 a.m. Sunday.
Officials said the incident occurred near the Mathematical Sciences Building, which is near the center of campus.
The victim said she struck the groper and ran away. Officers said she was unable to provide any physical description.
"It’s frightening because I’ve walked these same sidewalks at 5 a.m. before, pulling all-nighters," said recent UCF graduate Rossalyn Delfino.
She said it’s not unusual for students to walk at night since there are 24-hour study labs. It’s why, she said, she prefers to use the campus escort service at night.
"I’ve walked around campus, but I’ve never walked around alone as a freshman, especially at four in the morning. At that time, it’s scary," Delfino said.
"Women are definitely more preyed upon in these scenarios. (It) must be even scarier for them than it is for us guys," said Mani Bavanaka.
After a string of similar on-campus groping incidents in 2017 and early 2018, Abdullah Zaman was arrested in February. He was charged with three counts of battery and one count of attempted battery.
Court records show Zaman posted bond in February and did not show up for any of his scheduled court dates.
UCFPD officials said they are investigating the incident and will be increasing patrols. They are encouraging anyone with information to call 407-823-5555.