The suspect arrested last Friday on accusations of attacking a group of Jewish students on the University of Pittsburgh campus is now being accused of a previous incident at a different school.
Jarrett Buba, the suspect identified in court documents, was arrested on Aug. 30 after a group of Jewish students on the University of Pittsburgh campus was attacked by someone “wielding a bottle,” the university said in a statement.
He had no known affiliation to the school, according to the university, and was “immediately arrested.”
Buba was charged last week with two counts of simple assault, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of harassment and one count of resisting arrest, according to online records.
According to the criminal complaint, on Aug. 29 — the day before the attack on the University of Pittsburgh campus — two Carnegie Mellon University community members had a glass bottle thrown at them.
There were no reported injuries and the bottle struck a nearby vehicle, according to the criminal complaint. Carnegie Mellon Police canvassed the area after receiving a call but did not find the suspect.
Buba was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment in connection with the Aug. 29 incident, according to online court records.
It was unclear Saturday night whether Buba had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.
The next day, Carnegie Mellon University issued a public safety alert to the community due to the incident on the University of Pittsburgh campus. After seeing the alert, one of the victims from the Aug. 29 incident called police to indicate they believed the suspect was “the same male from August 29,” according to the complaint.
The incident at Carnegie Mellon University appeared to be random. According to the complaint, Buba began following the two victims after they made eye contact with him.
Surveillance footage shows the suspect engaging with the two victims, turning around to follow them, rushing toward them and “aggressively throwing the green bottle” toward the victims, according to the complaint.
Buba continued to engage with the victims “in an aggressive manner” until he fled.
The incident at the University of Pittsburgh involved two students who were wearing yarmulkes while walking on campus. One student made eye contact with Buba, who was seated at a table across the street, according to the criminal complaint. Buba was described in that incident as wearing a keffiyeh, a scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
Surveillance video shows Buba running across the street and up to the two students, who were traveling with a group, according to the complaint. The two students said they were attacked from behind with a green glass sparkling water bottle, one on the right cheek and the other on the back of the neck, resulting in “several superficial lacerations.”
One of the victims struck Buba and tackled him to the ground to detain him while waiting for police, who arrived and eventually arrested Buba.
The two students were treated at the scene, and the university said officials contacted the Hillel University Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to offer support to students.
“While there is not believed to be any ongoing threat to the public stemming from this incident, we recognize that incidents like these are unsettling to our Pitt community,” the university said in its statement. “To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated.”
The incident occurred near the Cathedral of Learning, a central building on the university’s main campus.
Agents from the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office are investigating the case as a possible hate crime, according to the criminal complaint. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and the University of Pittsburgh confirmed that “local and federal partners” are supporting efforts.
The University of Pittsburgh Police Department said it did not believe the incident was connected to an earlier violent incident reported at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, which is located across the street from the Cathedral of Learning. Pittsburgh Public Safety said a man was shot in the leg near the complex around 5:30 p.m. and was transported in stable condition.
Both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University’s fall semester begam on Aug. 26.
