A woman was assaulted and robbed early Tuesday morning while walking along the Charles River Esplanade near the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, law enforcement officials said.

The woman, who was robbed shortly after midnight, was unharmed and told police that she had not been sexually assaulted, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. She described her attacker as a bald African-American man of muscular build in his mid-30s, wearing a black tank top and black sweatpants, according to the district attorney’s office.

Police alerted several area colleges, including Boston University, to the assault, officials said. The stretch of esplanade where the attack took place is behind Danielsen Hall, the dormitory which marks the most eastern edge of BU’s campus.

Investigators are looking into a possible connection between Tuesday’s assault and three unsolved cases of rape, two near the esplanade in the summer of 2007 and one in South Boston in the summer of 2006, according to officials. In each of those unsolved cases, the women were raped late at night or early in the morning, and described their assailant as a bald African-American man of medium to large build in his mid-20s to mid-30s, officials said.

But it is ‘too early’ to tell if the cases are linked, district attorney’s office spokesman Jake Wark said.

Because the investigation is ongoing, officials are not releasing any other details about Tuesday’s assault at this time, Wark said. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, state police and Boston police are collaborating on the investigation.

People should not be afraid to travel the esplanade, but those who do should remain vigilant, Wark said.

‘The most important thing is to remain alert and aware of your surroundings, whether you’re traveling alone or in groups,’ Wark said. ‘But we don’t want to put people in the position of being afraid to travel in their own city. . . the most appropriate response is caution, not fear, and to remain alert, aware and, if possible, travel with friends.’

Anyone with information should call state police at 617-727-6780 or call Boston Police tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS.
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