Public Safety warns of luring suspect

Public Safety Captain Donald P. Reichling sent out a campus-wide safety alert on Monday afternoon cautioning that a suspicious individual has been targeting young women at local college campuses.

According to the University’s Campus Safety alert, the individual, 68-year-old Tony Kadyhrob, has not been linked to Princeton’s campus and the email was merely precautionary.

“There is no information that indicates this individual has been on or near the Princeton University campus, but we wanted to alert the community as a precaution because this individual was reported to have an interest in frequenting college campuses,” Reichling stated in the alert.

However, according to The Times of Trenton, the Lawrence Township Police Department sent out an inter-departmental bulletin warning that Kadyhrob “has frequented Rider University, The College of New Jersey and Princeton University trolling for ‘young girls.’ ”

It is unclear whether Public Safety was aware of the Lawrence memo linking Kadyhrob to Princeton or how the Lawrence Police were aware that Kadyhrob was frequenting Princeton’s campus.

Messages left with the Lawrence Police and Reichling early Monday evening were not returned as of Monday night. The Borough Police Department directed inquiries to the Lawrence Police.

Deputy Director for Operations for Public Safety Charles Davall could not be reached for comment. Officials reached at Public Safety’s general number directed the inquiry to the University’s Office of Communications.

When asked about the discrepancy between Public Safety’s report about the individual and the report issued by the Lawrence Police, University spokeswoman Emily Aronson explained in an email on Monday evening that Public Safety’s original email implied that no one directly connected to the University had reported seeing Kadyhrob.

“The phrase used in the original alert — ‘no information that indicates this individual has been on or near the Princeton University campus’ — was meant to convey that Public Safety had not received reports from University community members indicating this individual was seen on or near campus,” Aronson said. “We want to make sure the information is clear to students, and Public Safety is sending out a clarified campus safety alert in case others may have misunderstood this as well.”

Yet the updated alert sent out by Reichling around 7:35 p.m. on Monday evening contained no explanation of the discrepancy between earlier reports and did not reference the Lawrence Police’s report of Kadyhrob’s presence at Princeton.

“Public Safety is clarifying its notice to the community about an individual who was recently charged with attempted abduction of a female undergraduate student at Rider University and also was stopped by campus police at The College of New Jersey this weekend,” the statement said. “While Public Safety has received no reports from University community members of this individual being on or near the Princeton University campus, we wanted to alert the community as a precaution because this individual was reported to have an interest in frequenting college campuses, including Princeton.”

According to the Lawrence Police’s bulletin, as the Times reported, Kadyhrob is attracted to “young girls,” a term he applies to young women between the ages of 18 and 30.

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Kadyhrob, who was described as a white male, was charged with attempted abduction of a female undergraduate at Rider University after he pulled on her arm and attempted to lure her into his car on March 28.

The suspect was not apprehended at the scene, but a warrant was later issued for his arrest and he was released on bail.

Kadyhrob was then banned from The College of New Jersey’s campus on Friday via a hand-delivered letter after a tipster reported seeing a man that matched Kadyhrob’s description and he was warned that he would be arrested if he returned to the school.

He was reportedly spotted at The College of New Jersey again on Saturday night, though he could not be found after an extensive search, according to the Times, and he has told The College of New Jersey officials that he plans to visit Rutgers University next.

The Times reported that several anonymous students at The College of New Jersey said that Kadyhrob “has been seen in common areas across the campus for at least the past month ... [and] spending time in the student center and other popular spots frequented by students.”

Kadyhrob is reportedly driving a maroon Toyota Yaris rental car after his vehicle, a white Oldsmobile sedan with racing stripes, was seized and held in the possession of Lawrence Police.