Man Arrested in Connection With Lowell House Assault

Police arrested a suspect Wednesday in connection with an assault at Lowell House last week, the Harvard University Police Department wrote in a Wednesday evening alert to Harvard affiliates.

The suspect was arrested by local law enforcement and faces several felony charges, including assault and battery, kidnapping, and breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, according to the alert. HUPD wrote that additional charges may be sought as the investigation continues.

HUPD also said investigators believe the same suspect was involved in an earlier assault and battery at Peabody Terrace, a Harvard-affiliated apartment complex that houses graduate students.

According to HUPD, the Peabody Terrace incident occurred at approximately 5 p.m. on May 19, roughly 30 minutes before officers responded to the reported assault at Lowell House.

The victim told police that an unknown man approached them on the sidewalk near Memorial Drive and attempted to follow them into a residential building in the complex. The suspect grabbed the victim’s wrist and tried to pull them toward a gated building entrance, according to HUPD. After the victim repeatedly resisted, the suspect released the victim and fled the area.

The victim did not report any physical injuries and told officers that they decided to report the incident after receiving HUPD’s earlier University-wide alert about the assault in Lowell House, the Wednesday message stated.

At approximately 5:30 p.m. on May 19, HUPD and Cambridge Police responded to Lowell House after a student reported that an unknown man followed her into the residence hall, covered her mouth, and attempted to force her into her room. The student screamed, prompting several nearby students to leave their rooms, and the suspect fled the scene.

The victim, a female senior in Lowell House, also did not report any physical injuries.

The MIT Police Department also released a warning shortly after the incident at Harvard, reporting that it had received a call at 7:30 p.m. about a man on campus who “matched the description” of the suspect seen at Harvard. At MIT, the man had similarly attempted to follow a person into a residential building, though the statement did not describe any physical contact.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at ClaireMichal.154.