GU: Man Solicits Georgetown Student from Car

A man claiming to be a University employee solicited a Georgetown student walking in Burleith early Monday, according to a message from the Georgetown University Department of Public Safety.

Get daily and breaking news alerts by signing up for our newsletter.

Jay Gruber, the chief of Georgetown University Department of Public Safety, described the incident Monday in an email to the GU community:

"A Georgetown student, walking near campus in Burleith, was solicited to get into the vehicle of a person claiming to be a Georgetown University employee.  The person was not driving a Georgetown vehicle and did not have Georgetown University ID.  He did, however, flash an ID claiming he was a university employee.  The student refused the offer and reported the incident to the police."

Gruber advised students that university personnel are never instructed to solicit students from unmarked vehicles and employees in public safety roles have Georgetown identification. 

Staff in the community include:

"DPS officers who are uniformed, SNAP team members, who often wear Georgetown jackets or shirts, and drivers of Safe Rides vehicles, which are identified as vehicles operating for the university. We also use neighborhood shuttles, which are contracted by the university," Gruber said in the email.

"No one should ever accept assistance or rides from anyone that does not meet these criteria and should immediately report any instances like this to DPS," he added.