The man allegedly lured by the Assumption University students was a 22-year-old active military member.
The six Massachusetts college students accused of participating in the “catch a predator” TikTok trend by using Tinder to lure a man to campus and assaulting him appeared in court Thursday as they were arraigned.
The Assumption University students, who all face kidnapping and conspiracy charges, briefly stood in Worcester District Court and pleaded not guilty before being released on personal recognizance.
The accused students all exited the courtroom hastily with their families and none of them, or their attorneys, offered comment to reporters following the brief hearings, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette − part of the USA TODAY Network.
The defendants — Kelsy Brainard, 18; Easton Randall, 19; Kevin Carroll, 18; Isabella Trudeau, 18; and Joaquin Smith, 18 — showed little emotion in the courtroom, the Associated Press reported. A juvenile was also charged and arraigned separately in juvenile court, the outlet said.
Robert Iacovelli, Trudeau’s lawyer, told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette his client is innocent and he subsequently filed a one-page motion on Thursday seeking dismissal of the charges against her arguing the authorities’ lack of probable cause.
USA TODAY contacted the students’ attorneys Thursday but did not receive an immediate response.
Here is what to know about the case and the man who campus police say was falsely labeled a sexual predator.
What are the Assumption University students accused of doing?
The Assumption University students are accused of using Tinder to trick the man to the school’s campus on Oct. 1, and once there, he was mobbed by a group of more than 20 students who called him a pedophile and assaulted him, according to a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY.
Although Brainard told campus police that the “creepy guy” came on campus looking for a 17-year-old girl, officers found no evidence of this and said she and the other five students fabricated the meetup to participate in the “catch a predator” TikTok trend.
The man “believed he was meeting an 18-year-old girl on a college campus and using the Tinder app as it is originally designed to initiate a hookup,” the complaint reads. Brainard’s Tinder account also listed her as 18, police said.
What did the university say?
In response to the subsequent investigation and charges against its students, the university’s President Greg Weiner said in a statement to USA TODAY that “the behavior described in the court filing is abhorrent and antithetical to Assumption University’s mission and values.”
Assumption University is a private, Catholic university located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“In all circumstances, we expect our students to exercise sound judgment and uphold the principles of respect, responsibility, and character that define our community,” Weiner said. “Once the incident was reported, the Department of Public Safety commenced an immediate and thorough investigation − with concern for the victim at the forefront − which resulted in our Campus Police filing charges against six students.”
The school did not say whether or not the students would face academic discipline.
Alleged victim was a 22-year-old active military member
The man who was mobbed and assaulted, including having his head slammed into his car door allegedly by the juvenile student, is a 22-year-old active military member.
“This situation is particularly sobering because the victim is an active-duty military service member,” Weiner said. “His service reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who defend our freedoms, including the opportunity to pursue a college education.”
The man told police he was in Worcester for his grandmother’s funeral in October and “just wanted to be around people that were happy,” according to the complaint.
Before leaving the courtroom, the judge ordered the teenagers to not have any contact with the man, the AP reported.
What is the ‘catch a predator’ trend?
The “catch a predator” TikTok trend is inspired by the popular reality TV series “To Catch a Predator” featuring journalist Chris Hansen. The show aired on NBC and revolved around men arriving at a sting house to try and have sex with a minor. The men were usually ambushed at the homes by Hansen and law enforcement before being arrested.
Sometimes these vigilante-like operations lead to convictions, but usually, they do not. Authorities have warned people against conducting these stings because they could turn violent.
“We are asking parents to take these incidents as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media,” Mount Prospect, Illinois Police Chief Michael Eterno said after 11 teenage boys were charged with felonies last year for allegedly participating in the trend.
