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.
According to Holy Cross' director of safety and security Dave Young, however, a copy of the message was sent to both Saint Mary's and 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.
The security officer on duty was notified around 3 a.m. by local police, following the student's call. The student had minor injuries from the assault.
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.
Holy Cross' Campus Safety and Security Department provided additional reminders for students to avoid walking alone in dusk and light traffic hours, along with knowing their exact location beforehand in the event they need to call 911.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include Dave Young's response.
