The University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) police have issued a second campus-wide warning in less than two months following a report of a woman being stalked and groped in broad daylight. This new alert comes as detectives continue their investigation into the brutal rape and strangulation of an 18-year-old freshman reported in May.

According to a campus-wide Timely Warning, the latest incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on June 24, when the victim was walking along a paved access road on UCSB's West Campus. Police stated that a man riding a bicycle passed the victim and then circled back multiple times over the next 15 minutes.

The May case involved an 18-year-old freshman who reported being raped and strangled after meeting a man at a Sigma Pi fraternity party before returning to her dorm at Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista. Days after the attack, the survivor's family, through attorney Tyrone Maho, appealed for witnesses to come forward, particularly anyone who attended the Sigma Pi fraternity party or was near Tropicana Gardens on the night of May 9.

Additionally, UCSB freshman Elizabeth "Liz" Hamel died after a fall from a campus residence hall in February 2025; police ruled it an accident, but the district attorney’s office says the case remains under review.

Campus crime data reveal that the university recorded more than 100 reported rapes between 2022 and 2024, according to its Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports.

Sources