UCF police issue warning after student says man tried to touch her leg in campus parking garage

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — University of Central Florida police are warning students to be on their guard after a woman says a man tried to assault her in a campus parking garage Monday.

UCF police said a woman attending the university was approached by an unknown man who asked for help with his car around 6 p.m. in Garage C.

During the exchange, the man tried to touch the student's leg, police said, causing her to scream and run away.

The student immediately called police and described the man as 5 feet 7 inches tall; he was wearing glasses, a gray sweater and dark pants.

UCF police said the description of the incident closely matches two similar incidents that happened on campus within the past month and a half.

In December, a student reported that she was inappropriately grabbed by a man inside the Business Administration II building, the UCF Police Department said.

The student told investigators that the incident happened at about 5:50 p.m., UCF police spokeswoman Courtney Gilmartin said.

The man, who she did not know, was lingering near a vending machine and started talking to her before grabbing her, Gilmartin said.

"It's just unfortunate that we have to deal with that here at UCF. I feel like we're so close as a family and as a university. It's incredible that we have to do this," UCF student Ponatoyas Jusakus said.

Investigators said the woman ran from the building and reported the incident about an hour later.

The man was described as being dark-skinned with a thin build and about 5 feet 7 inches tall. He was wearing a gray hoodie and jeans at the time of the incident, police said.

A similar incident happened in the same building Dec. 4, Gilmartin said. The victim in that case provided a similar description of the culprit, but no one was arrested.

"Detectives are currently revisiting the case from last month and reviewing surveillance video from last night," Gilmartin said. "In regards to the incident at Valencia College Tuesday night, at this point, the circumstances and suspect descriptions do not match."

There was an increased police presence on campus Thursday. School officials asked students to be aware of their surroundings and to remain vigilant.

Anyone who knows information about either incident is asked to call UCF police at 407-823-5555.

Police said they do not believe the two incidents are related to a similar encounter at Valencia College this week.