A student at Barnard College was slashed outside of her New York City dorm building during a seemingly random attack.
Police said that the attacker snuck up behind the victim while she was walking in front of the suite-style Barnard residence hall on West 116th Street around 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, the New York City Police Department confirmed to Us. The victim – who has not been publicly identified but was said to be a 21-year-old woman – was cut behind the ear.
The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center for treatment, and she is currently in stable condition.
Following the attack, Barnard College notified students by sending them an email confirming that the victim is a “member of the Barnard community,” according to The Columbia Spectator.
Columbia University and Barnard College are directly adjacent to each other and are located in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood.
The incident was witnessed by pedestrians, and student Eva Kates told Columbia University’s newspaper that she was walking home when she saw the victim and police after they responded to the scene in the aftermath of the slashing.
“I originally thought that someone had robbed Morton Williams and I was like, ‘Wow, they have a lot of police officers for that,’” Kates recalled. “But then I saw a girl, and she had blood on her neck.”
She added, “I was walking down 116th, and there were a bunch of police officers, at least five or six, standing there.”
Columbia University students received texts about the suspect, who was described as a “dark skin male, 5-foot-9, stocky build wearing a black hooded coat with a yellow hat underneath and tan pants,” according to the university’s newspaper.
The suspect fled the scene and no suspects have been arrested as of time of publication.
Gary Maroni, director of Barnard’s Community Accountability, Response, and Emergency Services department, also sent a text update to students, first notifying them that the attack took place on Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
Maroni later sent a follow-up email to Barnard students at 10:19 p.m., in which he shared an image of the suspect that was captured by a security camera. He also confirmed to students and community members that the New York Police Department was investigating the incident.
The investigation into the attack remains ongoing as authorities work to track down the slasher and bring him into custody. The New York Police Department had no additional information to share when contacted by Us about the case.
