Paul Bass Photo
Chief Jacobson at Wednesday press update: Stranger sexual assault cases "rare."
Officials advised New Haveners to take precautions — and also maintain a sense of context — in the wake of a sexual assault of a Yale graduate student.
The assault took place downtown on the 300 block of Elm Street in off-campus housing Tuesday around 2 a.m. Someone appears to have broken into the apartment of the victim before attacking her and fleeing, according to Police Chief Karl Jacobson. He said the door was locked and the victim was inside sleeping.
She was taken to the hospital after the incident. Her name, age and condition have not been publicly released.
Jacobson and Mayor Justin Elicker took pains at a 1 Union Ave. press briefing Wednesday to urge people both to make sure doors are locked and windows closed at night — and not to believe they should feel unsafe or avoid going out in New Haven.
This is the first sexual assault reported so far this year involving an “unknown offender,” a stranger to the victim, Jacobson said.
“It is a rare thing. They do happen,” he said of such incidents. “The city is safe. We’re doing everything possible to find this person.”
Yale police are aiding New Haven police in the investigation, which is ongoing.