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Assumption University (WBTS).
Five college students from a private Catholic university in Massachusetts are facing charges after allegedly luring a man to campus, falsely accusing him of seeking sex with an underage girl, then chasing him down and beating him while recording the attack as part of a so-called “To Catch a Predator” trend on TikTok.
Charges were filed against the students from Assumption University on Dec. 4. The defendants, ages 18 and 19, face charges of kidnapping and conspiracy in the case that allegedly took place on campus in Worcester on Oct. 1. One also faces a witness intimidation charge while another faces an additional charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Police say that the group used the dating app Tinder to lure the victim to campus, trying “to simulate the TikTok fad of luring a sexual predator to a location and subsequently physically assaulting him or calling the police,” local CBS affiliate WBZ reported.
They lured the man to a lounge area in the college’s Alumni Hall, where alleged participants then emerged from “secreted” locations, grabbed the man, and accused him of being a predator. The victim told police the group came from out of “nowhere and started calling him a pedophile and [saying] that he liked having sex with 17-year-old girls,” according to a police report, MassLive.com reported.
He managed to break free, but the group of 25 or more chased and attacked him. He got to his car, drove away and called the police.
“A few minutes later you see the group coming back in, laughing and high-fiving with each other,” MassLive reported from the court document.
Police said one of the female defendants reported that “a creepy guy came to campus looking to meet an underage girl,” court documents said.
Police said this allegation was bogus. Her “victimization was fraudulently reported to mislead police in believing a sexual predator was on campus to conceal that the subject was lured to campus to be caught as a sexual predator by a group of students lacking legal authority to do so,” WBZ reported, citing court documents.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that one of the defendants told cops it was “like the Chris Hansen videos where you catch a predator and either call police or kick their a–,” but that this “got out of hand and went bad.” The reference to “the Chris Hansen videos” is a nod to the reality TV series featuring the show’s host, Hansen, confronting men arriving at a house to have sex with a minor and getting arrested.
The victim told cops he was in town for his grandmother’s funeral and went on Tinder to “be around people that were happy.” One of the female defendants invited him to campus to “try and hook up,” the Boston Globe reported.
A university spokesperson said in a statement to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that the allegations are “abhorrent and antithetical to Assumption University’s mission and values.”
“Our public safety team, in concert with other University departments, commenced an immediate and thorough investigation — with concern for the victim at the forefront — which resulted in the charges filed against the students named in the filing.”
“While we cannot comment on the ongoing student conduct investigations and attendant disciplinary processes, Assumption University is committed to maintaining a campus environment where every individual is treated with respect and dignity — including guests,” the statement added. “We strongly condemn all forms of violence and misconduct, and we are dedicated to fostering a community where all individuals feel safe and supported.”