Students at Swarthmore College have their guard up after a co-ed was attacked by a gunman in her dorm room Monday night.
The 22-year-old woman, who left her Wharton Hall room briefly around 7 p.m., returned to find a man inside her closet, police said Wednesday.
Upon confronting the suspect, he brandished a gun and motioned for the girl to be quiet. Instead, she screamed for help causing suspect to run from the room and building.
Fortunately, she was only left with a few bruises, but now police are trying to figure out how the man got into the locked dorm.
Several students told police they had noticed the man roaming the halls of the three-story stone building.
He reportedly asked one student if she knew a certain resident assistant (R.A.). That student told the man where the R.A.'s room was, but she wasn't home.
Police believe that's when the suspect entered the open door of the victim's room.
"Usually you just go to the bathroom, leave the door open and don't worry about it," said freshman Miles Santo. "It’s a very safe campus, but when I found out that there was a gunman, you know, you gotta double-check."
Monday's attack is the second on-campus assault in the past month. Three weeks ago a visiting Villanova student was robbed by two men who claimed to have weapons, police said.
School officials and police are asking students to keep and eye out and report suspicious activity.
