Woman attacked on the Esplanade

A college student was assaulted around 1 a.m. on Friday by the Silber Way footbridge, State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office report.

Police described her attacker as a black man between 6' and 6'4". They said the student, 18, was able to break free and escape.

Authorities said immediate evidence does not suggest a link to prior, unsolved attacks on women walking along the Esplanade and in Moakley Park in South Boston late at night; the assailant in those cases was described as no taller than 5'10".

Last year, two women were attacked and thrown in the Charles; police did not tie those to the original attacks, either. Regardless of perpetrator, authorities urged caution in late-night trips along the Charles:

Pedestrians, cyclists, and others are reminded to stay alert and, whenever possible, to travel in groups when visiting the Esplanade at night. The victims of any crime are asked to call 911 in an emergency, and the survivors of sexual violence in Suffolk County can also call the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371. The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center provides medical advocacy, legal services, counseling, and other services to victims of rape and sexual assault.