Students allegedly lured a soldier to campus for a beating, sparking outrage and legal action
Worcester: So, a bunch of students from Assumption University are in some serious trouble. They’re facing charges for allegedly luring a soldier to campus using Tinder, and it ended in a pretty wild beating.
It all started when Kelsy Brainard, an 18-year-old student, invited a 22-year-old guy over late at night. The plan? To “hook up.” But it turned out to be a setup inspired by a TikTok trend that mimicked the old show, *To Catch a Predator*.
When the soldier arrived, he was swarmed by a group of up to 30 students who accused him of being a pedophile. They were yelling and making it impossible for him to leave. It sounds like a scene straight out of a movie.
As he tried to escape to his car, they chased him down, and things got physical. He ended up getting punched and had his head slammed in the car door. Can you believe that? The whole thing was caught on security cameras, and the group was seen laughing afterward.
After the chaos, the soldier managed to drive away and call the police. A university spokesperson called the attack “abhorrent,” and honestly, it’s hard to argue with that.
Before the soldier showed up, one of the students texted a group chat saying they were “catching a predator.” It’s wild how this trend got so out of hand. One of the students, Easton Randall, even admitted that it went too far.
Now, Brainard, Randall, and a few others are facing serious charges, including kidnapping and conspiracy. Brainard also has an extra charge for witness intimidation, while another student is charged with assault.
Interestingly, Brainard’s Tinder profile claimed she was 18, and the age of consent in Massachusetts is 16. But after looking into it, police found no evidence that the soldier was trying to hook up with anyone underage.
The soldier was in town for his grandmother’s funeral and just wanted some company. It’s a sad situation all around. After the incident, he was deployed overseas, which adds another layer to this already troubling story.
Assumption University’s spokesperson made it clear that this kind of behavior is not what they stand for. It’s a reminder of how social media can lead to some really dangerous situations.
