The UC Irvine Police Department (UCIPD) is still actively searching for a man who raped a UCI student at the Camino del Sol student housing complex of American Campus Communities (ACC) on May 16.
Students and staff were made aware of the crime via a campus-wide email on May 17. The message states that the reporting party was pushed to the ground and raped as they were walking throughthe on-campus housing community. The message also cited the Clery Act, a federal act that requires universities to disclose crimes on and around campus to students and faculty.
The attack, active search and investigation have garnered attention from major media outlets like KTLA news channel, ABC7 Eyewitness News and NBC Los Angeles.
The UCIPD daily crime and fire log bulletin states that the incident occurred on the 32500 Block of Arroyo Dr, Irvine at 11 p.m. on May 16.
The suspect, who has not yet been identified or found, is reported to be a 35-40 year old white male with a medium build and dark hair. He was reported to have worn a dark T-shirt and a navy blue hat on the day of the attack, and to drive a dark-colored Acura.
Micheal Uhlenkamp, the UCI assistant vice chancellor of communications and media relations, responded on behalf of UCIPD in an email to New University, and shared the official university statement.
“No arrest has been made,” reads the statement. “Investigators continue to follow up on leads and gather information. Anyone with information that may be helpful in this investigation can contact the UCI Police Department at (949) 824-5223.”
With no official updates, students are sharing their safety concerns via the UCI Reddit. About a week after the attack on May 26, Reddit user DifficultyOwn4954 asked if there were any updates on the sexual assault case.
“i’ve been so scared walking at night now,” Reddit user eunkco said in a response to the post. “i feel on edge even going to the laundry room. especially living at the acc apartments i can’t help but be paranoid now :/ i just don’t understand why they don’t have police patrolling the area ATLEAST.”
Other users on Reddit claim to have seen the attacker in the bushes around various ACC apartments. New University is unable to verify these claims.
The UCIPD listed three other rape cases reported this month on their bulletin.
On May 22, the bulletin was updated to report a rape that took place on April 13 at 12:00 a.m. in the Arroyo Vista 1000 Block of Arroyo Dr. On May 29, another rape case was reported to have occurred on April 13 at an unknown time at Arroyo Vista Housing.
A rape dating back to March 26 was reported on May 27, occurring at 10:30 p.m. in the Arroyo Vista Housing community. This case is listed as being under investigator review.
Both cases were referred to the UCI Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD). The OEOD responds to discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual violence complaints. Their website states that they offer informal resolutions or perform formal investigations.
Students who are walking in and around campus alone are urged to inform someone of their route, departure time and expected arrival. UCIPD also urged students to call 911 for emergencies or (949) 824-5223 for nonemergencies, which constitute events not currently in-progress.
Some resources available to students are the UCI Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program, an informational resource that promotes safety behaviors, Waymakers, a 24-hour crisis and referral service and the UCIPD Safety Escort program, a free, 24-hour service offered to those walking alone. UCI community members can call (949) 824-7233 to access the escort program.
Cassandra Nava is a 2024-2025 Layout Editor. She can be reached at cassan2@uci.edu.
Edited by Joshua Gonzales