Over the weekend, Holy Cross College reported an incident in which one of their students was approached by two masked individuals, a situation necessitating investigation by the South Bend Police Department, according to an email sent to Saint Mary’s students by Campus Safety. As of Monday evening, no email regarding the incident had been sent to students at Notre Dame.
“Holy Cross College has reported that one of their students was accosted by two masked males on the public trail at Angela and Riverside Dr over the weekend. The student was able to escape and the event is under investigation by South Bend Police,” the email read.
Because the incident occurred on a public trail, the Campus Safety and Security Department at Holy Cross does not have jurisdiction over the investigation and therefore may not officially record the criminal offense within the U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security (CSS) crime logs. Holy Cross recorded zero offenses, other than drug and liquor law violations and one burglary, in their crime logs from 2021 to 2024, according to CSS and their 2025 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
In the email to Saint Mary’s students, director of campus safety Phil Bambenek described the location of the incident as “significantly away from campus and not heavily used by students in general.” Still, Bambenek encouraged students to “maintain situational awareness.”
In the email, Bambenek urged students to have a safety plan in mind for running or walking on and off campus, including but not limited to going with a group, wearing brightly colored and reflective clothing, carrying their cell phone and running or walking in heavily traveled areas.
The Campus Safety and Security Department at Holy Cross did not reply to a request for comment.
