Police: College Woman Sexually Assaulted On Charles River Esplanade

BOSTON -- Local and state authorities were investigating the sexual assault of a college student along the Charles River Esplanade on Sunday moing.

Boston University police responded to Commonwealth Avenue at Deerfield Street at about 2:52 a.m where a man reported that a woman had been assaulted a short time earlier.

The man told troopers he came across the woman near the Massachusetts Avenue bridge. The victim went up to him soaking wet and told him she had been sexually assaulted on the Esplanade and thrown into the Charles River.

Police said the woman left the scene, leaving behind her purse and identification, enabling officers to do a well-being check at her home.

The woman, later identified as a 20-year-old local college student, declined medical attention. Authorities said she was unable to provide a description of her assailant.

State Police and the office of Suffolk District Attoey Daniel F. Conley were urging anyone using public areas such as the Esplanade, especially at night, to be vigilant. It is suggested that people travel with friends if possible, stay in well-lit areas, avoid one-on-one contact with strangers, and not accept rides from strangers.

“Pay attention to your surroundings," said one female jogger. "If you're on an iPod, you’re definitely not going to know what's behind you."

Investigators have not determined if the attack was connected to a series of unsolved late-night sexual assaults along the Esplanade and in South Boston dating back to 2006.

“Oh wow it’s surprising,” said one man walking on the Esplanade. “We were just talking about how it happened a few months ago. I’m sad to hear it happened again.”