Police investigating claim of privacy invasion by ‘electronic means’
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A Princeton University student claimed to be sexually assaulted Sunday in a dormitory by another student who allegedly used “electronic means” to invade the victim’s privacy, authorities said.
Princeton Borough police, investigating the case with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, said they have not made an arrest or charged anyone in the alleged incident at 1939 Hall. Police cited the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation for not releasing the gender of the alleged 19-year-old victim or the alleged 20-year-old assailant, although police confirmed the two “were acquainted.”
This was the first alleged sexual assault at the university in an academic year that only began last week. Police were contacted by the university’s public safety department within two hours of the alleged incident and responded to the dormitory around 5:18 p.m., police Capt. Nicholas K. Sutter said Tuesday. It was not immediately known if the two students both lived in 1939 Hall.
The victim did not need medical attention, Capt. Sutter said. The victim has accused the other student of invasion of privacy by “electronic means,” Capt. Sutter said. A restraining order was not issued against the alleged assailant, he said.
The university did not release an electronic public safety alert about Sunday’s incident because one “wasn’t warranted,” said university spokesman Martin Mbugua, who directed all questions about the case to police.
Such alerts are sent by email to the university community, generally a decision made by the university’s public safety department in conjunction with any investigating agency involved, Mr. Mbugua said.
Capt. Sutter said there is “no immediate threat” to the university community. There were 42 “forcible sex offenses” on campus from 2008 to 2010, according to the latest public safety data available from the university.

