HYDE PARK — The University of Chicago said Tuesday it had identified and banned from campus a person of interest in the reported weekend sexual assault of a 21-year-old woman at an off-campus fraternity house.
“This identification has been corroborated by key witness statements and video evidence from University cameras and license plate readers, all of which has been shared with CPD by the Department of Safety & Security,” the university said in a community alert issued Tuesday.
A 21-year-old woman told authorities she was attending a party at the Alpha Epsilon Pi house, 5625 S. University Ave. in Hyde Park, around 1:50 a.m. Sunday when she was sexually assaulted by a man she didn’t know, according to the Chicago Police Department and a UChicago crime log.
A group of as many as five men were “cheering and appearing to encourage the activity inside” a frat house bathroom, and the group tried to block two of the woman’s friends from entering, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. Block Club has filed a public records request with the Chicago Police Department seeking the report.
A police spokesperson told Block Club Tuesday evening that there “is no one in custody at this time. This is an ongoing investigation.”
The 21-year-old woman was “not fully conscious” when she was found inside the bathroom, while both she and the suspect were partially undressed, the Sun-Times reported.
Eyewitnesses described the suspect as a 5-foot-7 South Asian man with a dark complexion, short hair on the sides and longer curly hair on top, according to a university alert issued Sunday.
An initial review of surveillance cameras in the area showed a person who fit that description running from the frat house, the alert read.
A person resembling the suspect’s description was also filmed in a TikTok video, in which another person identifying themselves as the victim’s friend accuses him of assault and chases him near the house, the Chicago Maroon reported Tuesday.
Chicago Police are conducting the criminal investigation, while UChicago will investigate potential school policy violations and disciplinary actions, university officials said.
The issue of sexual assault tied to college fraternities has exploded recently as outcry spreads over the handling of accusations of a gang rape at a Cornell University frat house in 2024.
A spokesperson for Alpha Epsilon Pi’s headquarters previously said the group is cooperating with the investigation and that the chapter has been told not to hold any events or programs during the investigation.
UChicago’s chapter of the fraternity issued a statement Monday saying its members are “deeply disturbed by the sexual assault that occurred” and that the party was shut down after the assault.
“We are working alongside authorities to provide additional details to the Chicago Police Department,” Alpha Epsilon Pi Lambda Chapter’s statement reads. “… We will continue to support the investigation to the fullest extent and offer our support in any way possible.”
The University of Chicago and Hyde Park is seen on June 3, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
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