On Friday, A Seton Hall University student retracted claims that she was sexually assaulted by a stranger on campus earlier that week -- instead, investigators say the alleged attacked occurred off-campus and that the perpetrator may have been known by the woman who filed the claim, reports West Orange Patch.
Originally, the unidentified student stated that the assault had taken place in an on-campus parking lot while she was walking from the library to her dorm at around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Now, police are investigating an attack that happened close to campus. At this time, no charges have been filed.
According to the Newark Star-Ledger, University officials responded to the original claim by sending out an e-mail to the entire student body informing them of the event and instructing them to walk in groups both on and off campus. But in light of the revised account, head of Essex County Prosecutor's homicide unit Thomas Fennelly told the Ledger that the school didn't "want the citizens or other students to be alarmed. This was an isolated incident."
Although students told the Patch that they were relieved to hear the attack hadn't taken place on campus, they still plan to proceed with a walkout they had planned before the student changed her story.
The Seton Hall community is still reeling from the murder of Jessica Moore, 19, at an off-campus party in September. This may have contributed to the student body's decision to continue with their protest. The Patch reports that in an email to students event organizer and Seton Hall sophomore William Suggs wrote that "the University needs to reassess the following areas: on and off-campus security, University's response to the latest incident, cooperation with the community on crime and prioritization of safety education."
The walkout will take place on Monday.
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