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Campus Alert Archive
DePaul

Two Jewish students attacked outside the student center; hate-crime investigation

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
ILaggravated assaulttimely warninghigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the afternoon of November 6, 2024, two Jewish DePaul University students were attacked in front of the Lincoln Park Student Center by masked assailants who used antisemitic slurs while striking them. DePaul issued a Public Safety alert the same evening, and Chicago Police investigated the incident as a hate crime. Adam Erkan was later charged.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
2
Institution
DePaul University
Private R2 · IL
All DePaul cases →
~21,000 studentsDePaul Public Safety Alert
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatim286 chars
At approximately 3:20 PM two students were attacked in front of the Student Center. One offender was wearing a black mask, white t-shirt, and khaki pants. The other offender was wearing a black mask, black hooded jacket, and black pants. Both individuals fled the area after the attack.
Dual independent live fetch 2026-09-14 from Public Safety Safety Alerts archive. sha256 b61d652e697c807ab74dd3a2da410034e3f30279242072212813c09dd2ba7989 chars=286.
REPLACE of 564-char reconstruction that invented DePaul Public Safety Alert prefix, hate-crime classification language, and 773-325-7777 closer. Official Description row wins.
R8 STANDS: Public Safety Safety Alerts archive, not newsroom.
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatim1852 chars
Earlier this evening, you received a Public Safety alert about a battery that occurred in front of the Student Center on the Lincoln Park Campus at approximately 3:20 p.m. this afternoon. I'm appalled to share that the attack targeted two Jewish students at DePaul who were visibly showing their support for Israel. Masked attackers punched our students, who sustained physical injuries but declined medical treatment. Student Affairs is working with the students to offer care and resources. We are outraged that this occurred on our campus. It is completely unacceptable and a violation of DePaul's values to uphold and care for the dignity of every individual. The university is actively working with the Chicago Police Department to investigate this incident so that they can determine whether to classify it as a hate crime that targeted our students because of their Jewish identity. We will do all we can to hold those responsible accountable for this outrageous incident. We will continue to do everything possible to ensure DePaul is a safe and welcoming space for every member of our diverse university community. We recognize that for a significant portion of our Jewish community, Israel is a core part of their Jewish identity. Those students – and every student - should feel safe on our university campus. Our shared expectations and guiding principles make it clear that DePaul will not tolerate any acts of hatred or violence. Please know that the safety and wellbeing of our university community remains our highest priority. If you have information regarding this incident or experience any threats or acts of violence, please report them immediately to Public Safety at 773-325-7777 (Lincoln Park) or 312-362-8400 (Loop). If you are in need of support, a collection of resources for students, faculty and staff is available here.
President Manuel's statement was issued the same evening as the Public Safety alert, unusually fast presidential engagement for a non-life-threatening incident
The phrase 'I'm appalled' (later echoed as 'outraged') gave the letter its widely quoted tone; NBC Chicago's headline was simply 'Outraged'
Explicitly framing the targeting around 'their Jewish identity' set the institutional position before the police completed their hate-crime classification
The closing nod that 'for a significant portion of our Jewish community, Israel is a core part of their Jewish identity' was a deliberate refusal to bracket Israel solidarity from Jewish identity, a contested move at many peer institutions during the Israel–Hamas war
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, SuperGrok Heavy 4.5 (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

At approximately 3:20 PM two students were attacked in front of the Student Center. One offender was wearing a black mask, white t-shirt, and khaki pants. The other offender was wearing a black mask, black hooded jacket, and black pants. Both individuals fled the area after the attack.

  • Sourceabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    0 of 25 passes found S present (0 present / 25 absent). No branded signature, university name, or issuing agency appears.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: Building name "Student Center" is a place, not a branded signature, university, or agency.
    2. absent: This wording never identifies a university, branded office, or named agency as the sender.
    3. absent: Absent because no university, police unit, or other branded agency is named as the sender.
    4. absent: The source is missing; no branded signature, university, or named agency appears in the text.
    5. absent: The message never names a university, alert brand, or any issuing agency.
    6. absent: Omits any branded alert label, university title, or named agency as the sender.
    7. absent: this text never identifies a branded signature, university, or named agency
    8. absent: A branded signature, university name, or named police or emergency agency would have counted as the sender.
    9. absent: I read no branded alert label, university name, or named agency that would identify who issued the notice.
    10. absent: Does not count as a branded signature because no university, alert brand, or named agency is identified as the sender.
    11. absent: Recipients never see a branded signature, university name, or named issuing agency in this crime notice.
    12. absent: Unsigned because the message never names a university, branded alert channel, or sending agency.
    13. absent: A branded university, police, or emergency agency name never appears as the sender.
    14. absent: The text never names a university or issuing agency, leaving a branded sender absent.
    15. absent: From the wording no branded signature, university, or named agency appears as the sender.
    16. absent: No branded signature, university, or named agency is identified as the sender.
    17. absent: Here no university name, police unit, or branded alert label identifies who sent the message.
    18. absent: No branded signature, university, or named agency cue identifies who sent this notice.
    19. absent: Coding source absent because the text never names a university, branded alert channel, or issuing agency.
    20. absent: No university, branded signature, or named agency identifies who issued this notice.
    21. absent: On this pass the text names no university, branded alert channel, or issuing agency.
    22. absent: No branded tag, university, or named agency identifies a sender (a 1 would need campus police or a college signature).
    23. absent: Nothing names a university, branded alert channel, or sending agency in the text.
    24. absent: The text never names who sent it. There is no university, alert brand, or agency such as police.
    25. absent: The wording names only the Student Center as a building and never a university brand or agency, so the vote is absent
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    25 of 25 passes found H present (25 present / 0 absent). Attacked / battery-style assault is a specific threat.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Wording "students were attacked" names a specific assault threat, not a generic incident.
    2. present: This wording reports an assault on two students, which is a specific threat.
    3. present: Present because two students were attacked, which names a specific assault threat.
    4. present: The hazard is a physical attack on two students, which is a specific crime threat.
    5. present: An attack on two students is named as the specific violent threat.
    6. present: States that two students were attacked, naming a specific assault threat.
    7. present: this text names an attack on two students as the specific threat
    8. present: The cue is that two students were attacked, which names an assault as the threat.
    9. present: I read that two students were attacked, which names a specific assault threat rather than a generic incident.
    10. present: Counts as a specific threat because an attack on two students is a concrete assault hazard rather than a vague emergency.
    11. present: Recipients are told two students were attacked, which names a specific assault threat.
    12. present: Assault because two students were attacked, which is a specific threat rather than a generic incident.
    13. present: A specific assault threat is present because two students were set upon.
    14. present: Two students were attacked, which specifies a violent crime as the threat.
    15. present: From the wording two students were attacked, which names an assault as the specific threat.
    16. present: Attacked names a specific assault threat rather than a generic incident.
    17. present: Here the attack on two students is a specific violent threat, not a generic incident.
    18. present: An attack on two students is the specific threat cue rather than a generic incident.
    19. present: Coding hazard present because two students were attacked, which is a specific assault threat.
    20. present: An attack on two students is a specific violent crime, not a vague incident or situation.
    21. present: On this pass two students were attacked, which is a specific assault threat rather than a generic incident.
    22. present: Two students were attacked, which names an assault as the threat (a 0 would fit a generic incident with no crime type).
    23. present: Something reports that two students were attacked, a specific assault threat.
    24. present: Two students were attacked, which names a specific assault rather than a vague emergency or incident.
    25. present: Two students being attacked specifies an assault type threat rather than a generic incident, so the vote is present
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    25 of 25 passes found L present (25 present / 0 absent). The Student Center is a named place.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Phrase "in front of the Student Center" states where the attack happened.
    2. present: This wording places the incident in front of the student center, a definite site.
    3. present: Present because the attack is placed in front of the Student Center.
    4. present: The location is the area outside the Student Center, where the assault occurred.
    5. present: The attack is placed in front of the Student Center as the scene.
    6. present: Locates the assault in front of the Student Center.
    7. present: this text places the attack in front of the Student Center
    8. present: The cue is "in front of the Student Center," a named place.
    9. present: I read that the attack took place in front of the Student Center, which is a concrete place.
    10. present: Counts as a location because the assault is placed in front of the Student Center.
    11. present: Recipients are told the attack occurred in front of the Student Center.
    12. present: Building because the attack is placed in front of the Student Center.
    13. present: A site in front of the Student Center is given as where the assault happened.
    14. present: The attack occurred in front of the Student Center, a definite place.
    15. present: From the wording the attack happened in front of the Student Center.
    16. present: In front of the Student Center is the place where the attack occurred.
    17. present: Here the attack is located in front of the Student Center.
    18. present: The front of the Student Center is the place cue for where the assault occurred.
    19. present: Coding location present because the attack is placed in front of the Student Center.
    20. present: The crime is placed in front of the Student Center, a named building.
    21. present: On this pass the attack is placed in front of the Student Center, a named building.
    22. present: The attack is placed in front of the Student Center (a 0 would omit any building or site).
    23. present: Something places that attack in front of the Student Center.
    24. present: The attack is placed in front of the Student Center, a named campus building.
    25. present: The event is sited in front of the Student Center, so the vote is present
  • Guidanceabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    0 of 25 passes found G present (0 present / 25 absent). Recipients are not told to take a protective action.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: Phrase "fled the area" reports suspects leaving, not a protective instruction for recipients.
    2. absent: This wording describes the offenders and that they fled but never tells recipients how to protect themselves.
    3. absent: Absent because offender clothing and flight details never tell readers how to protect themselves.
    4. absent: The guidance is missing; offender clothing notes are not protective instructions for recipients.
    5. absent: Suspect clothing is described but nobody is told how to stay safe.
    6. absent: Omits any protective instruction such as avoiding the area or calling police.
    7. absent: this text gives no protective instruction such as shelter, avoid, or lock down
    8. absent: A protective instruction such as avoid the area, shelter, or call police would have counted; the suspect clothing list is not guidance.
    9. absent: I read clothing details and that both people fled, with no protective step for recipients to follow.
    10. absent: Does not count as protective instruction because the text only describes offenders and flight, with no order to lock doors, report tips, or stay alert.
    11. absent: Recipients get suspect clothing details but no protective instruction such as avoid the area or lock doors.
    12. absent: Clothing because suspect outfits and that both fled never tell recipients how to protect themselves.
    13. absent: A protective instruction such as avoid the area, lock doors, or call police is never given.
    14. absent: Clothing details and flight of the offenders are given, without any instruction on how to stay safe.
    15. absent: From the wording recipients are not told to avoid the area, call police, or take any other protective step.
    16. absent: Offender clothing details and that both fled give no protective instruction to recipients.
    17. absent: Here suspect clothing is described, but readers are never told to avoid the area, shelter, or take any other protective step.
    18. absent: Suspect clothing and flight details offer no protective instruction cue such as call police or stay away.
    19. absent: Coding guidance absent because clothing details and the offenders fleeing never tell recipients how to protect themselves.
    20. absent: Suspect clothing details do not tell recipients to shelter, avoid a place, or take any other protective step.
    21. absent: On this pass the message only recounts the crime and gives recipients no protective action.
    22. absent: Offender clothing and that both fled are description only, not an order to avoid, lock, or report (a 1 would tell people how to stay safe).
    23. absent: Nothing tells readers to shelter, avoid an area, lock down, or take any other protective step.
    24. absent: Readers are only told what already happened. Nobody is told to avoid the area, call for help, or take any other safety step.
    25. absent: Clothing details on the offenders are not a directive to lock down, avoid a place, or otherwise protect oneself, so the vote is absent
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    25 of 25 passes found T present (25 present / 0 absent). Approximately 3:20 PM is a clock time.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Clock time "approximately 3:20 PM" timestamps the attack.
    2. present: This wording gives a clock time of about 3:20 PM for when the attack occurred.
    3. present: Present because the attack is clocked at approximately 3:20 PM.
    4. present: The time cue is a clock time of about 3:20 PM for when the attack took place.
    5. present: Approximately 3:20 PM supplies a clock time for when the attack occurred.
    6. present: States a clock time of approximately 3:20 PM for when the attack occurred.
    7. present: this text gives the clock time 3:20 PM
    8. present: The cue is the clock time "approximately 3:20 PM."
    9. present: I read approximately 3:20 PM, which is a clock time from the required list.
    10. present: Counts as timing because the incident is tied to a clock time around 3:20 PM.
    11. present: Recipients are given the clock time of approximately 3:20 PM.
    12. present: Afternoon because approximately 3:20 PM is an explicit clock time.
    13. present: A clock time of about 3:20 PM marks when the assault took place.
    14. present: The event is placed at about 3:20 PM, which is a clock time.
    15. present: From the wording approximately 3:20 PM is a clock time for when the attack occurred.
    16. present: Approximately 3:20 PM is clock timing for when the students were attacked.
    17. present: Here approximately 3:20 PM supplies a clock time for the attack.
    18. present: A 3:20 PM clock cue timestamps when the attack took place.
    19. present: Coding time present because approximately 3:20 PM is a clock time for the attack.
    20. present: The attack is timed at approximately 3:20 PM, which is a clock time.
    21. present: On this pass approximately 3:20 PM is a clock time for when the attack occurred.
    22. present: Approximately 3:20 PM is a clock time for the attack (a 0 would have no time of day).
    23. present: Something timestamps the attack at approximately 3:20 PM, which is a clock time.
    24. present: A clock time is given: about 3:20 PM.
    25. present: The attack is timed at approximately 3:20 PM, which is a clock stamp, so the vote is present
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    0 of 25 passes found I present (0 present / 25 absent). Naming an attack does not by itself state consequence or severity.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: Wording "were attacked" names the hazard without injury, damage, or other severity.
    2. absent: This wording does not add injuries, remaining danger, or other severity beyond the attack itself.
    3. absent: Absent because attacked is the hazard label and no injury, medical outcome, or other severity is added.
    4. absent: The impact is missing; attacked only names the hazard and no injury, weapon harm, or other severity is stated.
    5. absent: The notice reports an attack but never states injuries, damage, or remaining danger.
    6. absent: Lacks injury, damage, or other severity language beyond the attack itself.
    7. absent: this text states no injury, damage, or extra severity beyond the attack label
    8. absent: Injury, hospitalization, or remaining danger would have counted; naming an attack is the hazard, not a stated consequence.
    9. absent: I read the attack as the hazard itself and no injury, damage, or other severity beyond that name.
    10. absent: Does not count as consequence or severity because nothing states injuries, hospitalization, or other harm beyond naming the attack.
    11. absent: Recipients get only the attack hazard name, with no injury, remaining danger, or other severity stated.
    12. absent: Injuries because none are reported, and naming an attack is only the hazard itself.
    13. absent: A claim of injury, weapon harm, or other severity beyond the assault label is missing.
    14. absent: Naming an attack states the hazard only, with no injury or lingering danger described.
    15. absent: From the wording the attack is named without any injury, damage, or other severity beyond that hazard.
    16. absent: The attack is named with no extra severity such as injury, hospitalization, or weapon harm.
    17. absent: Here the text restates the attack itself and never adds injury, weapons harm, or another consequence beyond that hazard name.
    18. absent: No injury, weapon harm, or other severity cue is given, so the attack name alone is not impact.
    19. absent: Coding impact absent because attacked is only the hazard name and no injury, weapon harm, or other severity is stated.
    20. absent: That the offenders fled states no injury, damage, or other severity beyond naming the attack.
    21. absent: On this pass no injury, weapon harm, or other severity is stated beyond naming the attack itself.
    22. absent: Attacked is the hazard name, with no injury, weapon, or leftover danger stated (a 1 would add harm or severity beyond the assault label).
    23. absent: Nothing states injury, weapon harm, or other severity beyond naming the attack itself.
    24. absent: The attack is the hazard itself. The text never adds a separate result such as injuries, danger, or how serious it was.
    25. absent: No injury, hospitalization, or other severity is added beyond the attack label itself, so the vote is absent

Coded by SuperGrok Heavy 4.5

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

DePaul University, founded in 1898, is the largest Catholic university in the United States, with approximately 21,000 students across its Lincoln Park and Loop campuses in Chicago. It is operated by the Vincentian fathers (Congregation of the Mission). On the afternoon of November 6, 2024 (one day after the US presidential election and 13 months into the Israel–Hamas war) two Jewish DePaul students were attacked at approximately 3:20 p.m. CST in front of the Student Center on the Lincoln Park Campus. The students were visibly showing support for Israel; their attackers wore masks, struck one in the face and body, pushed the other to the ground, and used antisemitic slurs before fleeing. DePaul issued a Public Safety alert that evening, and President Robert L. Manuel issued a same-day statement condemning the attack and noting Chicago Police were investigating it as a hate crime. Adam Erkan, whom prosecutors described as having worn a ski mask, was later charged with seven felonies including four hate-crime counts, but pleaded guilty in December 2025 (under a deal that dropped the felony and hate-crime charges) to misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm and was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. A second masked attacker remains unidentified. The two students have since sued DePaul for alleged negligence in failing to protect them. The case is significant for the archive because it documents how Catholic universities navigate antisemitic violence on campus during the Israel–Hamas war, the alert language explicitly named the religious-political targeting in a way many peer institutions have avoided.
Analysis

Key Findings

DePaul's Public Safety alert explicitly stated the victims were targeted for 'visibly showing support for Israel,' rather than using vague hate-crime language
President Robert L. Manuel issued a same-day statement framing the institutional position before police completed the hate-crime classification
Chicago Police investigated the incident as a hate crime and Adam Erkan was charged with seven felonies including four hate-crime counts; in December 2025 a plea deal dropped the felony and hate-crime charges and he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor battery count, receiving probation and community service
The two student victims later sued DePaul for negligence in failing to protect them
The case illustrates how Catholic universities navigate antisemitic violence on campus during the Israel–Hamas war
Outcome
The two students, identified in lawsuits as Max Long (an IDF reservist) and Michael Kaminsky, were beaten, with Long suffering a brain injury/concussion and Kaminsky suffering a fractured wrist that required surgery. Chicago Police investigated the assault as a hate crime; Adam Erkan, whom prosecutors described as having worn a ski mask, was charged with seven felonies including four hate-crime counts. Erkan reached a December 2025 plea deal in which the felony and hate-crime charges were dropped, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm, and was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. A second masked attacker has not been identified or charged. The two students have since sued DePaul University for negligence.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
  2. Official
  3. News
  4. News
  5. News
  6. News
  7. News
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "DePaul University: Two Jewish students attacked outside the student center; hate-crime investigation." Incident of November 6, 2024. Added May 2026; last updated September 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/depaul-university-antisemitic-attack-2024-11-06/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
hate-crimeantisemitismreligious-institutioncatholic-universitydepaulillinoischicagolincoln-parkisrael-hamas-wartimely-warningaggravated-assault
Added May 2026Updated September 2026Via ingestion