Woman sexually assaulted near Rutgers campus in New Jersey

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (WABC) -- There's a warning for students at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

There were two violent incidents near campus this weekend including a sexual assault.

Both incidents took place not far from each other.

Classes begin Tuesday, but students at Rutgers are learning a lesson when it comes to off-campus safety.

In late night incidents, the students were victimized in two separate locations. Both happened just a couple blocks off the main campus.

"It makes me nervous, it's kind of scary, but I know that we're safe over here you just have to stay in the right places I guess," said Savanna Ezighoffer, a Rutgers student.

The most troubling incident happened near the corner of Richardson and Wycoff where around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, a female student was followed into a backyard and fondled before the suspect fled.

"College students need to know that they need to travel in groups. It's not safe for a girl to be out that late at night by herself," said Casey Balascak, a Rutgers student.

"I'm just concerned that people would go out alone after this incident and not take it seriously," said Julia Erickson, a Rutgers student.

The second incident involved two students walking just off-campus when a projectile was launched from a passing car around 12:40 a.m. Sunday near the corner of Hamilton and Hartwell. Both were hit and went to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

"You still feel kind of safe, but you know that at any point something could happen," said Josh Hidalgo, a Rutgers student.

Parents dropping off their kids for classes are aware of the issues facing all college campuses.

"It's just like anywhere else, any major college would be like this like Harvard or Yale, they have crime reports too when you go to their websites. Anything with an urban setting, it's like you have to be aware," said Joseph Vizer, a parent.

The university has given students a list of safety tips:

The Rutgers University Police will also provide escorts to anyone walking to their vehicles and campus buses and there are some 2,700 cameras on campus to deter and solve crimes.

The suspect in the sex assault is described as a black male, wearing tan shorts and a dark colored shirt with white dots.

Police ask that anyone with information on the case call 732-745-5217.