Facebook/Hartford Police Jake Wascher is a University of Hartford student accused of stabbing two people in a dorm room, police say.
Jake Wascher is a University of Hartford student accused of stabbing two fellow students in a dorm room on the Connecticut school’s campus while they worked together on a group project, police say. The 21-year-old Wascher was taken into custody after the incident, according to police.
The double stabbing occurred Sunday, March 31, about 1:30 p.m. One of the victims was critically injured, while the other suffered injuries that are not believed to be as serious, according to police. The victims were taken to a local hospital. A motive for the stabbings has not been made public. Police swarmed the college campus Sunday afternoon and the university went on lockdown for about two hours while police investigated and searched for the suspect.
According to police, witnesses said Wascher and the victims were rehearsing a movie scene for a class assignment. While “acting out” a scene where a person gets stabbed, police said Wascher attacked both victims, stabbing them multiple times and then fleeing on foot. Police do not know why Wascher went from acting to actually stabbing the victims.
According to police, the students were rehearsing a scene from the 2004 thriller “The Butterfly Effect.” The movie, starring Ashton Kutcher, is about a college student who suffers from headaches and blacks out. While blacked out, Kutcher’s character travels back in time to painful childhood moments. During the blackouts, Kutcher’s character is able to alter the past, causing nightmarish realities when he returns to the present day.
Jake Wascher.
The two students who were stabbed have not been identified. Both are males and were with the suspect in a dorm room when the attack occurred. A 21-year-old male was stabbed once in the chest and four times in the back, police said. The other victim, a 19-year-old male, was stabbed once in the chest and once in the back, according to police. Both victims are students. The 21-year-old victim lives on campus and the 19-year-old is a commuter, police said. The 19-year-old victim is in critical condition and was in surgery Sunday afternoon. The other victim was in stable condition.
Here’s what you need to know about Jake Wascher:
1. A Responding Officer Said It Was a ‘Serious’ Scene With ‘Blood Everywhere’
BREAKING photo of EMTs & HPD responding to stabbing in “the village” at University of Hartford. Suspect in custody, campus is safe. (Photo via Alison Denno / STN2) @FOX61News t.co/mfAhNEZZ2a
A responding Hartford Police officer described a “serious” scene in the dorm room with “blood everywhere,” according to police radio transmission recordings obtained by Heavy. The officers responded to the University of Hartford about 1:30 p.m. and found the two stabbing victims. Both were transported to a local hospital with one of the victims in critical condition, according to police scanner audio.
Hartford Police and Major Crimes at the scene of a double stabbing at the University of Hartford. Police say this happened while three students were working on group project in dorm area. @WTNH
“Emergency on Main Campus. Police activity in the area of Village quad 2. More info to follow,” the University of Hartford tweeted just after 2 p.m. Hartford Police said on Twitter just before 2 p.m., “Hartford Police investigating stabbing incident at University of Hartford (dorm area).”
InstagramJake Wascher.
Police quickly identified the suspect as 21-year-old Jake Wascher based on information from people at the scene. It is not known how the suspect is connected to the victims.
The University of Hartford has about 5,000 undergraduate students on its central Connecticut campus. UHart’s campus spreads from the town West Hartford, where the school is officially located, into the capital city of Hartford and neighboring Bloomfield. The dorm building where police say the stabbing occurred is in the Hartford part of the campus at 200 Bloomfield Avenue.
2. Wascher Fled From the Scene on Foot but Was Arrested by Police Not Long After Leaving Campus
Campus Cleared. Suspect in custody. #universityofhartford
Jake Wascher was arrested shortly after the stabbing. Police said he does not have a car and was believed to have fled on foot. Officers searched buildings on the University of Hartford campus and also went to Wascher’s off-campus apartment building on Warrenton Avenue in Hartford, according to police scanner audio recordings.
He was taken into custody after being spotted by an officer while along a woodline on the southeast side of the campus, according to police. He saw the officer and fled back into the woods, police said. After several other officers responded, the suspect was given verbal commands and surrendered without incident. He was placed under arrest without further incident.
Jake Wascher.
Wascher was evaluated by medical personnel after his arrest and was not injured, police said. He was hiding out in the woods for about two hours, according to police.
During the search, police closed down the entrances and exits to the campus, though conflicting information was released by the college and police about whether a lockdown was declared. At 3:30 p.m. the University of Hartford tweeted, “Suspect in custody. Lockdown is lifted. No threat on campus. More information will be provided as soon as possible.”
Hartford Police added, “Campus Cleared. Suspect in custody.”
3. Wascher Has Been a Theater Student at University of Hartford’s Hartt School Since the Fall of 2018
Jake Wascher.
Jake Wascher has been a student at the University of Hartford since the fall semester of 2018, according to his Facebook page.
He is studying for his bachelor’s degree in fine arts, acting, at the university Hartt School, he wrote on Facebook. Wascher posted on Facebook in April 2018, “The Hartt School at University of Hartford for BFA Acting 2022. Here I come!!”
Jake Wascher.
Wascher also has worked at Subway since November 2018, according to his Facebook page. Wascher was part of The Hartt School’s production of “Twelfth Night or What You Will” in February 2019, according to the university’s website. He was on the costume crew, according to the program.
4. He Is a California Native & Previously Studied at California State University Fullerton
Jake Wascher.
Jake Wascher is a San Diego, California native, according to his social media profiles. On Instagram, Wascher wrote “SDCA☀️?—>WHCT❄️?.” On Facebook, Wascher wrote that he graduated from the Coronado School of the Arts high school in 2016.
On March 28, Wascher wrote on Facebook, “Missing my family today…7 more weeks till I get to see you all again!”
Wascher studied at California State University Fullerton from 2016 to 2017, according to his Facebook profile. He was studying theatre and dramatic arts at the school.
Jake Wascher.
Wascher has been involved in acting and theater since a young age, according to a write-up on his high school’s website.
“He is a founding member of the CoSA/CHS Improv team, which has been one of the many highlights of his four years in CoSA,” the school wrote. “His two favorite musical productions were Legally Blonde: The Musical, which he described as a phenomenal show, and Catch Me If you Can, in which he played the role of Carl Hanratty, the nerdy, slightly obsessive FBI agent. He was nominated for “Best Actor in a High School Musical” from Broadway SD/The Ben Vereen awards for his portrayal of Hanratty. The final competition will take place May 29th.”
The high school added, “Jake has loved comedy since he was young. In early May, he participated in the National Comedy Theatre High School Improv Championships. His resume of experiences outside of CoSA includes Shakespeare summer intensives at the Old Globe in Balboa Park, including seminars with successful professionals such as Glenn Howerton, actor, screenwriter, and producer of the comedy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Ray Chambers, an actor, and staff member in the MFA Program at USD.”
According to the high school’s website, “Jake’s advice is to other CoSA students is to have fun, keep your grades up, make friends with all conservatories – not just Musical theatre, support friends in other conservatories, and lastly – don’t be a diva! Jake recognizes that finding balance can be difficult, but it can be done. He says it is best to stay focused on the academics, and not try to do everything all in one year. In other words – pace yourself. It was during Jake’s junior year that he felt he finally found true balance in maintaining his academics, his personal life, his acting life, and his ability to be happy, professional, and get things done. … We have no doubt that Jake Wascher’s passion for dancing, singing, and musical theatre will always keep him in the spotlight!”
Wascher also worked as character actor at Lego Land in California, according to his high school’s website and Facebook posts. Wascher does not appear to have a criminal history in Connecticut or California, accoridng to public records.
While at Fullerton, Wascher was involved in a clash between pro-Trump and anti-Trump protesters on the campus. He told The Daily Titan after the March 2017 incident that he became involved because he didn’t want to listen to the “propaganda” from the pro-Trump group. The pro-Trump faction was escorted off campus for their safety, the student newspaper reported.
“One of the protesters called a man of (a certain) race a name I’m not going to repeat, which caused a scuffle,” Wascher told The Daily Titan. “Give us a healthy debate instead of one that almost caused a fight.”
5. Wascher Was Charged With Assault & Attempted Murder
Jake Wascher.
Hartford Police said the department’s Major Crimes Division is investigating with assistants from the Crime Scene Division. Jake Wascher was charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of attempted murder.
The investigation is ongoing. Police said Wascher was interviewed Sunday afternoon at the Hartford Police Department and then was taken to be booked on charges. He is being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Hartford on Monday, April 1.
“We don’t know what the motive is, we don’t know what happened,” Hartford Police Lieutenant Paul Cicero said at a press conference. “Obviously the two victims are being treated at the hospital right now, those are obviously are critical witnesses, not just victims. We do want to talk to them. Their wellbeing is of utmost importance, so we’re certainly not going to rush it.”
In a statement, the University of Hartford said, “The University of Hartford campus community is deeply saddened by the serious incident involving the assault of two students on campus this afternoon. The injured students were immediately transported to area hospitals for treatment and law enforcement secured campus. A third student was located off-campus and has been taken into police custody. Our thoughts are with these students and their families during this difficult time.”
UHart added, “While there is no ongoing threat to campus, we recognize that this isolated incident is frightening and unsettling. The University will provide counseling services to members of our campus community in need of support or assistance. The University will continue to work closely with the Hartford Police Department in their ongoing investigation.”
Hartford Police thanked University of Hartford security for their assistance in the incident.
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