Students reported multiple instances of verbal assault from vehicles that drove through Main Street two weeks prior. As detailed in a school-wide email sent to the Andover Community on September 13, the perpetrators yelled racial slurs and, in one case, threw food at the victims. Fortunately, no students were struck. Campus Safety is currently working with the Andover Police Department to investigate these incidents.
One case of verbal assault occurred on September 6. The following day, three similar instances were reported. According to Mark Leonard, Director of Campus Safety, those three incidents may have been committed by the same group of people. Leonard acknowledged that these occurrences are not uncommon or contained to Andover; the Andover police have investigated incidents in the town of Andover or off-campus as well.
“Historically, it’s something that happened typically throughout the school year, in Summer Session as well as regular session. [From] speaking to the police, it not only happens to our school, it happens downtown, on Main Street, to students not affiliated with PA: vehicles driving by and yelling things at them… It’s certainly not unique to PA or unique to [the town of] Andover,” said Leonard.
Many students have reported similar experiences of verbal harassment from passing vehicles on campus. At the beginning of the school year, Addison Deng ’26 was yelled at by an approaching car while walking to downtown Andover. Deng expressed her uneasiness toward the aggression exhibited by passing drivers.
“We thought [the car] was going to swerve and hit us, but it didn’t. We managed to get its license plate and submitted it to Campus Safety, but we don’t know what happened after that. It was scary… I’d say [the perpetrators] are building aggression and our inactiveness towards their aggression is also giving them permission to increase aggression,” said Deng.
Like Deng, Azzaam Abdur-Rahman ’27 has experienced verbal assault from passing vehicles. Abdur-Rahman pointed out the mental toll these incidents could cause and emphasized what those impacts could look like on boarding students, as they live on campus.
“One time I had [someone] drive past me downtown and call me a racial slur. I was just walking downtown, and as I’m a day student, I didn’t call Campus Safety or tell anyone on campus. Thinking about it now, alerting Campus Safety to what’s happening downtown could protect the safety of other students… Given that most students are boarding here, it could really affect their mental state knowing that they’re not safe downtown,” said Abdur-Rahman.
Although no particular demographic commits every incident, Leonard observed that, when identified by the Andover Police, those involved tended to be teenagers or young adults. In order to discuss these incidents, Susan Esty, Dean of Students and Residential Life, shared plans to meet with schools in the area such as Andover High and Merrimack College.
“We definitely try to be in good relationship with the town of Andover and I think we are. I don’t feel like this is a town of Andover issue, I think it’s some individuals’ issue, which is why we need help from the town to address it,” said Esty.
Esty continued, “We will connect with Andover High and the local high schools of North Andover and maybe North Reading. We don’t want to presume that their students are responsible, because the description we had was 25 or younger. That could change as the police continue to investigate… Our plan is to connect with the local high schools and [with] Merrimack [College] too. We all share a pretty small geographic area.”
When asked about what the school can do to respond to these events, Chloe Ru ’27 mentioned a dorm meeting her House Counselors organized. Ru suggested holding an informational session in order to equip students with practical skills and increase their confidence in handling potential threats.
“Our dorm had a meeting about [the incident], and my House Counselors talked to us about ways to take precautions, like sticking to places with people and always having your phone on you. She also gave tips on what to do if there are cars or people following you… Campus Safety is doing a pretty good job responding, but maybe the school could have a meeting on how to protect yourself better just in case something like this happens,” said Ru.
Leonard urged students who have undergone harassment or uncomfortable situations to contact trusted adults on campus as soon as possible. He emphasized that students should prioritize their personal safety first and foremost, then report to Campus Safety to limit future occurrences.
“It’s helpful when we have as much information as you can provide, such as a vehicle description or a license plate. We don’t want anyone, however, to put themselves in harm’s way to do that, if there’s a fear of retaliation… It’s really important that we get the information right away so that we can follow up with Andover police if necessary to figure out who’s responsible,” said Leonard.
