(KRON) -- A University of California, Berkeley student was followed to her off-campus apartment and had her security gate jumped by a man carrying a barbecue lighter.
The incident occurred approximately one week ago and ultimately led to the arrest of 50-year-old Kenneth Stine after the victim spotted him near her home the following day.
The student, Eden Winograd, said she stepped outside to walk her dog when she noticed the man and turned around as a precaution.
Video footage shows Winograd quickly walking into her off-campus apartment complex then climbing over the complex's security gate.
"He had a barbecue lighter in his hand," Winograd said.
After hearing footsteps behind her, Winograd said she rushed into an elevator and called 911. A Berkeley Police Department officer arrived at the scene, but Winograd said the officer did not search the entire complex. She later discovered that the suspect had slept just a few feet away from where she and the officer had been speaking.
"It just felt like they didn't care," Winograd said. “I don't feel like any of this has been taken seriously. There is more compassion and worry for those who attack than the victims.”
Winograd added that she began considering moving away from the area following the incident.
“I am truly thinking about leaving," she said. "No one cared until I posted on TikTok. I had to learn all of these updates on my case from the media.”
The arrest occurred the day after the initial incident, when Winograd called police a second time after spotting the unknown man lying on a sidewalk near her home. Officers subsequently arrested Stine, who is classified as unhoused.
Other students expressed similar safety concerns about living near the campus. UC Berkeley student Joshua Regla stated that such encounters are common for local residents.
“Its just a way of life here," Regla said. "I have had three run ins with people. One guy heard me complaining about a class. He got upset."
KRON4 contacted the Berkeley Police Department regarding student safety concerns near campus and inquired whether officers conducted an initial search of the complex during the first call. The department referred the news station to a YouTube video and caption addressing the incident.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
