WORCESTER, Mass. (WPRI) — Five Assumption College students are facing charges after allegedly luring a man to campus, framing him as a sexual predator and then attacking him, according to authorities. The students were inspired by a TikTok trend mimicking the TV series "To Catch a Predator," according to the court documents, in which an Assumption University officer recounts the investigation. Police said that student Kelsy Brainard, 18, matched with the 22-year-old victim on the dating app Tinder. Brainard and her friends devised a plan to lure him to campus and ambush him after the conversation turned sexual, according to police. Brainard met up with the man on campus back in October and then led him to a basement lounge, where the two watched TV. The victim told officers he had only been in the basement for a few minutes when more than two dozen students "came out of nowhere" and began accusing him of sleeping with underaged girls, according to police. Police said the mob of students prevented the victim from leaving by grabbing him, but he was eventually able to break free and escape. The students chased him up the stairs and out of the building, according to police, with one of them punching him in the head and another slamming the driver's side door into him as he got inside his car. Investigators believe Brainard and the four other students, identified as 19-year-old Easton Randall and 18-year-olds Kevin Carroll, Isabella Trudeau and Joaquin Smith, rallied their peers against the victim in a group chat thread by calling him a sexual predator and alerting them that he was in the lounge. The accusations "provoked a rabid response" from other students in the group chat, according to police. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Brainard escorting the man downstairs into the lounge, and then him running back up the stairs followed by the angry mob of students a short time after. "It appears that the group chasing [the victim] was staged and or awaiting his arrival," the police report stated. "The area from which the mob comes from is typically an underused area not frequented by large groups of students simultaneously." In the surveillance footage, police said several of the students chasing the victim had their cell phones out to record the entire ordeal, including Brainard. Police said after the victim drove off, the students could be seen laughing and high-fiving one another. The victim left campus and drove to a place "where he felt safe" and then called the Worcester Police Department to report what had happened. Police said Brainard initially claimed she was a victim and told officers the victim came to campus uninvited and "she was frightened by him being creepy." But there is no indication that the victim was on campus looking to meet underage girls, according to police. "The information Brainard was providing was not factual but falsification and lies," the police report notes. "The goal of the invite was to simulate a TikTok fad of luring a sexual predator to a location and subsequently physically assaulting him or calling the police." Brainard, Carroll, Trudeau, Smith and Randall have each been charged with kidnapping and conspiracy. Carroll was also charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, since police said he admitted to slamming the victim's car door into him, while Brainard faces an additional charge of witness intimidation. In a statement, Assumption University's Marisa Greg described the students' actions as "abhorrent and antithetical." "This incident highlights the very real harm that social media can inflict when it promotes dangerous and irresponsible behavior," Greg wrote. "In all circumstances, we expect our students to exercise sound judgment and uphold the principles of respect, responsibility and dignity that define our community." Greg wouldn't comment on the ongoing student conduct investigation, or what disciplinary actions Brainard and her friends may be facing. "Assumption University is committed to maintaining a campus environment where every individual is treated with respect and dignity — including guests," she said. "We strongly condemn all forms of violence and misconduct, and we are dedicated to fostering a community where all individuals feel safe and supported." Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW