Teenager raped on Gimbel Gym roof

A teenage girl was forcibly raped by an area resident on the roof of Gimbel Gym early Friday morning, University Police said this week. A University Police officer responded to screams for help from the gym's roof at 1 a.m. while on routine foot patrol on Walnut Street. The juvenile victim was forcibly escorted by the alleged assailant from the arcade on the 3900 block of Walnut to Gimbel Gym at 37th and Walnut streets. Neither the victim nor the assailant are affiliated with the University. In unrelated incidents, three women reported being robbed in the University City area this week. In the first incident a man in his twenties stole a woman's purse at the corner of Woodland Terrace and Baltimore Avenue Thursday evening at 7 a.m., according to University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada. A female was pushed off her bicycle, valued at $700, Thursday while she was riding on the 4100 block of Locust Street. The area resident who shoved her stole the bicycle and fled the scene. The victim did not report any injuries. A woman, making a deposit at the Provident National Bank's automatic teller machine on the 3900 block of Walnut was robbed at 9:00 p.m. on Friday. A male, between 17 and 20 years old, entered the banking suite behind her, according to University Police. The thief, after saying "What is that, money?" to the woman, proceeded to grab her $120 in cash and credit cards. He was not apprehended. In addition, a fire was started in the John Morgan Building of the Medical School Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. University employees were required to evacuate the building when smoke was discovered on the third floor. The cause of the fire is attributed to workmen who were repairing the roof earlier in the day. "It was an accidental fire caused by a torch which was used by the roofers to apply the roof repairs," John Cook of the University safety office said. The cost of the damage, which primarily affected the roof, has not been determined. A temporary roof has been installed to keep out inclement weather while repairs take place.

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