The University of California, Santa Barbara, has issued a second campus-wide safety warning in less than two months following a report of a sexual assault. The incident occurred on June 24 when a woman reported being stalked and groped in broad daylight while walking on the West Campus.
According to the police alert, a man on a bicycle passed the victim, circled back multiple times over 15 minutes, and then approached her from behind, groping her before fleeing toward Tierra De Fortuna Park. The suspect is described as a Hispanic or Middle Eastern man, approximately 35 years old, 5-foot-8 with a thin build, a shaved head, brown eyes, and scruffy facial hair. He was reportedly wearing a gray tank top or cut-off T-shirt, shorts, and a black backpack while riding a bicycle. The victim did not know the suspect.
This alert comes as UC Santa Barbara police continue to search for the suspect in a separate, brutal rape and strangulation of an 18-year-old freshman reported in May. That incident occurred after the victim met a man at a Sigma Pi fraternity party and returned to her dorm. The investigation into this case remains unsolved. The victim's family has appealed for witnesses and requested the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office take over the investigation.
UC Santa Barbara, which has been ranked the nation's top party school by Niche for the past two years, has seen an increase in reported crimes in recent years. Campus crime data from 2022 to 2024 shows over 100 reported rapes, alongside increases in weapons arrests and burglaries.
In a statement following the May attack, UC Santa Barbara police emphasized that all reported crimes on university property are thoroughly investigated and that they are in direct contact with the survivor's family, working closely with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office when appropriate. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the June 24 incident to contact the UC Santa Barbara Police Department.