(16 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Worcester, Massachusetts – 16 January 2025
1. Exterior of Worcester Trial Court
++PARTIALLY COVERED BT SHOTS 1 AND 3++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathy McCormack, The Associated Press:
" Five college students have appeared today, their first time before a judge to answer to charges of conspiracy and kidnaping in a book accused of plotting to lure a man to their campus on Assumption University through a dating app and then seizing him as part of a ‘catch a predator’ trend that has been seen on TikTok. The students are all teens at Assumption University. They’re 18 and one is 19. It’s a private Roman Catholic school in Worcester. And they have pleaded not guilty and are due back in court in March."
3. Various exteriors of Assumption University campus
++PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOTS 3 AND 5++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathy McCormack, The Associated Press:
"Police said that the Tinder account of one student, an 18 year old woman, was used to correspond with a 22 year old man who is active duty military. She faces an additional charge of witness intimidation in addition to conspiracy and kidnaping. A male student in the group also faces a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The victim told police that he was in town for his grandmother’s funeral in October and wanted to be around people that were happy. He connected with the young woman on Tinder. He was invited to the Assumption University campus, and after a few minutes, he was surrounded by a group of students who accused him of being a sexual predator going after underage girls. This turned out to be entirely false, and the students pursued him from the college and cornered him at his car where he was punched in the head and hit with his own car door. He was able to escape."
5. Various Exterior of Worcester Trial Court
++PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOT 7++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathy McCormack, The Associated Press:
"Assumption University police did an investigation and the five students who appeared in court today, three men and two women, were charged in December along with a juvenile whose case is being handled separately."
7. Various of downtown Worcester
STORYLINE:
Five Massachusetts college students appeared in court Thursday, accused of plotting to lure a man to their campus through the Tinder dating app and then seizing him as part of a “Catch a Predator” trend on TikTok.
The Assumption University students, all teenagers, were arraigned on conspiracy and kidnapping charges. Not-guilty pleas were entered, and they’re due back in Worcester District Court on March 28.
Police said students recorded themselves laughing and high-fiving each other after chasing the man.
Before leaving court Thursday, the teens were ordered to have no contact with the targeted man, who police said showed no indication he was looking for underage girls.
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