‘It’s Scary’: York College Students Raise Safety Concerns After Fight on West Jackson Street

A fight early Saturday morning in York is raising safety concerns near York College, with students, families and a property manager saying many noncollege students are causing disturbances on West Jackson Street.

The latest incident became violent quickly, according to residents.

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Students who live on the street said the violence followed a large gathering that included more than 100 people in the 300 block of West Jackson Street, near Jessop Place.

“They move up onto their porch, and they start it, you know, they throw, they throw cans around, they’re banging on the door,” said a York College student, who wished to remain anonymous. “So, a girl comes down, says, hey, get off my property.”

The noncollege students immediately attacked the girl, who resides at the West Jackson Street home, according to witnesses.

“Literally 8 to 12 girls grabbing this girl by her hair, punching her, kicking her. They dragged her from her porch onto the street,” said another anonymous York College student.

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Three York College students who spoke anonymously with WGAL News 8 on the record Tuesday said they do not feel safe on Jackson Street because of noncollege students coming to party.

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The York College students, some of whom have lived on West Jackson Street for more than two years, say local, noncollege students come to their block often and cause disturbances. They added it is getting worse.

Prior to the fight, some of the off-campus college residents recorded video of the moments before a drag race and described the scene as chaotic. One of the cars in the video they shared nearly crashed into a crowd of 10 students.

“It’s scary seeing 200 people out here who are yelling,” said an anonymous student.

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Berrios and students say police took too long to arrive. Several college students who spoke both on camera and off camera say they called 9-1-1 long before the fight when the crowd started to form around midnight.

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The condition of the York College student involved in the fight is unknown at this time.

Capt. Lentz said Tuesday afternoon police identified one person as a suspect but have not made any arrests or filed charges. York City Police are investigating.

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