A group of Assumption University students are facing charges for kidnapping and beating soldier after luring him to campus using Tinder in a TikTok trend-inspired attack, emulating the TV series To Catch a Predator.
Kelsy Brainard, 18, a student of the $70,000-per-year Roman Catholic institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, allegedly invited the 22-year-old man to visit her at 10.30 p.m. on October 1 so they could “try and hook up,” police said.
It was all part of a sting to “to simulate the TikTok fad of luring a sexual predator to a location and subsequently physically assaulting him or calling the police,” police said.
Upon arriving at the campus, a “mob” of up to 30 people “came out of nowhere,” calling the victim a pedophile and accusing him of attempting to solicit sex from 17-year-old girls, according to an Assumption police report first seen by the Boston Globe.
The man said he was surrounded by the group and initially unable to leave. As he fled to his car, the victim was chased by students brandishing their cell phones before allegedly being punched and having his head slammed in the car door, according to a police review of security footage.
The video allegedly showed the group laughing and high-fiving as they headed back towards the building, the report said.
After the attack, the victim managed to drive away from the campus and call the police.
Prior to the man’s arrival, student Easton Randall texted a group chat saying “come down here we’re catching a predator,” according to authorities.
The 19-year-old allegedly told police the trend is inspired by Chris Hansen’s noughties reality TV show To Catch a Predator, which saw the host use a hidden camera to attempt to catch adult men who were trying to have sexual encounters with minors.
“This got out of hand and went bad,” police said Randall admitted.
Brainard, Randall, Kevin Carroll, Joaquin Smith and Isabella Trudeau were all charged with kidnapping and conspiracy on December 4 and accused of orchestrating the “deliberately staged event,” police said. One minor, who wasn’t identified, also faces charges.
Brainard is facing an additional charge of witness intimidation, while 18-year-old Carroll was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after allegedly admitting to slamming the victim’s head in the car door.
The defendant stated on her Tinder profile that she was 18-years-old, police said. The age of consent in Massachusetts is 16-years-old.
After a review of Brainbard’s dating app profile, there was no evidence the soldier was seeking sexual relations from anyone underage, according to authorities.
The victim later told police he had been in Worcester for his grandmother’s funeral and began talking to Brainard on Tinder as he “just wanted to be around people that were happy”.
Days after the ambush, the victim – whose father said is currently serving in the Army – was deployed overseas, according to WCVB.
Assumption University spokesperson Marisa Gregg denounced the student’s alleged “abhorrent” conduct.
“The behavior described in the court filing is abhorrent and antithetical to Assumption University’s mission and values,” Gregg told the Telegram and Gazette in a statement on Tuesday. “This incident highlights the very real harm that social media can inflict when it promotes dangerous and irresponsible behavior.
The Independent has contacted Assumption University and its Department of Public Safety/Campus Police for more information.
