A Barnard College student was wounded in a knife attack by a stranger outside a Morningside Heights residence hall Thursday night, police and a report said.
The attacker reportedly approached the 21-year-old from behind and slashed her near the ear as she walked past the suite-style dormitory on West 116th Street near Claremont Avenue at about 8:15 p.m., authorities said.
She was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center and remained in stable condition.
Barnard informed students by email that the injured woman was a “member of the Barnard community,” according to The Columbia Spectator.
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Student Eva Kates told the university newspaper that she was heading home when she encountered the victim and saw a large police presence outside the building.
“I originally thought that someone had robbed Morton Williams and I was like, ‘Wow, they have a lot of police officers for that,’” Kates said. “But then I saw a girl, and she had blood on her neck.”

Messages sent to students at nearby Columbia University described the suspect, who ran from the scene, as a “dark skin male, 5-foot-9, stocky build wearing a black hooded coat with a yellow hat underneath and tan pants,” the report said.
As of Friday, police had made no arrests. Investigators had not determined a motive for the attack.
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