A Boston area college student was sexually assaulted Saturday night on the Charles River Esplanade near Massachusetts Avenue, according to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
The woman was sitting on a bench along the esplanade, according to the press release, and was engaged in a “lengthy conversation” by the suspect before he assaulted her at about 11:30 p.m.
The woman described the assailant as a black male between the ages of 25 and 30, about 6-foot-1 inch and weighing about 230 pounds She said he had short hair and was missing a front tooth as well. He was reportedly wearing black sweatpants and a green shirt.
The woman reported the incident to the Boston Police Department after running away and going to a friend’s residence, the press release said.
Because the Esplanade is under state jurisdiction, the investigation is being conducted by Massachusetts State Police.
The State Police are working alongside Boston city investigators, who are looking into “a series of unsolved but linked late-night sexual assaults along the Esplanade and in South Boston,” according to the release.
Investigators are still determining the identity of the attacker, and are figuring out whether the Saturday night assault is related to unresolved assaults that took place in 2006, 2007 and 2009. The suspects in these classes were all described to be physically similar to the suspect in the most recent case.
The 2006 assault took place in the Joe Moakley Park in South Boston, and the two assaults in 2007 and the assault in 2009 all took place by the Esplanade.
The Suffolk Country District Attorney’s office, the State Police and BPD recommended in the press release that “joggers, cyclists, pedestrians and others travel in groups if they visit the Esplanade at night. . .that people in the area remain alert and aware of their surroundings, avoid one-on-one contact with strangers in the area, seek help if a stranger tries to isolate them and not accept rides from strangers.”
They also urged anyone who is attacked or feels threatened to call 911 or contact the State Police communication center.
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