Rutgers Attempted Rape Suspect Wanted in South Brunswick, Too, Police Say

South Brunswick, NJ - This man, wanted for a gruesome beating and attempted sexual assault of a female Rutgers student, has been wanted by South Brunswick police for nearly a year.

Michael Knight, 37, of Newark, is sought as the primary suspect in a South Brunswick home invasion. That burglary happened in June of 2015, Captain James Ryan said.

He declined to say where in South Brunswick the burglary occurred.

On Wednesday, May 4, Knight attacked a female Rutgers student as she walked on campus, Rutgers police and the Middlesex County prosecutor say.

Knight followed the woman and attacked her in the area of Van Dyke Hall, near College Avenue and Seminary Place at 3:30 a.m., campus police said.

He struck her in the face, severely beat her, dragged her to the side of a building and was attempting to sexually assault her when a group of individuals intervened, prosecutors said. She had screamed out for help when she was first attacked, which alerted them.

Knight fled on foot when the group intervened, running off towards Seminary Place. But as he ran, he said he had a gun and threatened to shoot one of the men who attempted to chase him. His bail has been set at $1 million.

The woman was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries. She since has been released.

The violent attack on a student comes just days before President Barack Obama will speak at the Rutgers commencement ceremonies, this Sunday, May 15.

Photos of Michael Knight provided by Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and South Brunswick police.