Police have arrested a Bridgewater State University student accused of pushing a female student off a roof during an off-campus party.
Bridgewater Police said Alexander Marquez, 20, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested at 12:36 a.m. on Monday after officers observed him pushing the woman off the roof onto a crowd of 200-plus students.
The woman was reportedly dancing on the roof of the garage at 51 Burrill Ave. and people were yelling at her to jump before the man pushed her from behind.
"I didn't really expect it, people were like yelling and telling her to jump but she wasn't going to jump so he got up there and pushed her," BSU sophomore Lexis Alleyne said.
"This kid just came out of nowhere and just started pushing her forward towards the edge and all the sudden he sort of just shoved her and she just started falling and people were like oh my God," said BSU sophomore James Terzian.
Terzian says it happened so fast, he just reacted, possibly saving the young woman's life.
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"People started backing away and I just I caught her," he said.
The victim, later identified as 20-year-old BSU student Sophia Czarowicz, had taken off, but later stopped by the police department and refused medical treatment.
"She had bruising on her right arm, bruising on her right leg, some scratches on her right leg but considering the circumstances she was pretty lucky," Bridgewater Police Lt. Tom Schlatz said.
Bridgewater State University released a statement saying in part, "The Bridgewater State University community was spared a possible tragedy last night....Our student code of conduct applies equally to off-campus as to on-campus actions. We will immediately begin our own inquiry into this matter and, based on our findings, will take any and all appropriate measures."
Marquez is being held on $5,000 cash bail. He is due back in court on Sept. 17.
