Police investigating sexual assault near Penn campus

Investigators are attempting to identify a man accused of sexually assaulting someone early Tuesday morning near the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.

The attack occurred just before 2 a.m. on the 3800 block of Chestnut Street in University City, according to police.

Penn Police said in an alert to students that the victim reported being approached outside the Hamilton Court apartments by a man “who attempted to sexually assault them and threatened to harm them with a weapon.” Officers recovered a knife at the scene, according to city police.

Authorities have not provided information about the victim’s age or gender, and whether they are a student at the university.

Surveillance images and video of the suspect were released Tuesday evening by the Philadelphia Police Department. They described him as a Black man between the ages of 20 and 30 who is about 6 feet tall. At the time of the assault, he was wearing a dark-colored Polo zip-up jacket, blue jeans with white inseam stitching and peach-colored sneakers, detectives said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the PPD’s Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3263/64; call or text 215-686-8477; or email tips@phillypolice.com.