5 arrested in motor oil incident

Five Penn students have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault in connection with an incident on campus earlier this month involving a Princeton University student.

Penn Police, however, say they will not release the names of the students -- all of whom are believed to have been drinking at the time of the incident -- until they have been arraigned.

"We have completed a full criminal investigation, and five Penn students have been arrested and charged with the assault," Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. "The bottom line is that they will be charged in criminal court."

The students' charges include aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person's life, terroristic threats, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of an instrument of crime.

Additionally, the Office of Student Conduct is conducting a parallel investigation into the incident and is expected to hand down its own decision on the students.

"They will suggest University sanctions for the students," Police Chief Tom Rambo said.

Rush said she is disappointed about the incident.

"It is very unfortunate that Princeton University students who were here on a very legitimate, academic activity were the victims of" the assault, Rush said. "I am saddened by the results of what happened. They will stand trial as anyone else would in an assault case."

According to police, the assault was set off by an altercation between the Princeton students, who were staying on campus for a weekend parliamentary debate, and the Penn students, who were not associated with the University's debate team.

Approximately 30 minutes before the assault, sometime between 3 and 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, a Penn student reportedly entered the Quadrangle lounge where several Princeton students were sleeping.

"One of the Penn students who was subsequently arrested came in and started to flick the lights," Detective Supervisor Frank DeMeo said. "When [the Penn student] was asked to step out by one of the Princeton students, he turned around and shoved him."

The student then left, but returned at approximately 4:15 a.m. with four more of his fellow students.

"They harassed the student and ultimately poured motor oil over his head and threatened to light a match like [they were] going to set him on fire," DeMeo said.

At one point, one of the students reportedly did throw his lighted cigarette at the student doused in motor oil.

Police were contacted approximately two hours after the incident took place and immediately began investigating. During this investigation, police have been questioning students they suspected to be involved.

Ultimately, the five students turned themselves in, four on Monday and one yesterday morning, once police obtained warrants for their arrest.

"We called their attorneys, who made arrangements to bring their clients in," Rambo said. "They turned themselves into the UPPD headquarters."

Penn police have been working with the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, who will handle the case from here.

"It is very unfortunate," Rambo said of the incident. "This is a great place to study, and you should be able to do so without the fear of any threat of violence."

"This is an absolute tragedy," Rush added. "The lives of the Princeton students and the University of Pennsylvania students [are affected]. This is an example of a practical joke really going in the wrong direction. [The Penn students] got more than [they] bargained for."

Police say they do not expect any additional arrests to be made in connection with this incident.

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