A California man has been arrested after being accused of kidnapping two college students and raping another woman, according to authorities.
Alexander Schecter, 26, was apprehended on March 20 in Santa Monica in connection with the alleged sexual assault. He had been arrested just eight days earlier amid an investigation into the alleged kidnapping, according to a UCLA Police Department press release.
Police first responded to reports of a possible kidnapping near the University of California-Los Angeles, around 3 a.m. on March 8.
Two female students were being dropped off in the area when Schecter allegedly refused to allow them to leave his car, the statement said. The 26-year-old suspect had threatened to hurt both of the women, police said. Fearing for their safety, the pair remained in the vehicle and were driven half a mile to Gayley Avenue, one of the main roads passing through the campus.
It’s unclear why the women were in his car to start, or if the victims knew the alleged suspect.
Schecter was identified by police four days later and was arrested on charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment. Eventually, he posted bail.
However, amid the investigation into the alleged kidnapping, UCLA police uncovered evidence allegedly linking Schecter to a previously unreported sexual assault involving a female victim. The alleged assault took place in Los Angeles on October 12, 2025. According to police, the crime unfolded between 2 and 5 a.m.
The victim had no connection to UCLA.
Further details of that alleged assault have not been released.
UCLA police again arrested Schecter on Friday at his home. He was subsequently booked on one count of rape by force, one count of forcible oral copulation, one count of robbery, one count of extortion, and one count of battery, the press release says.
Schecter’s bail has been set at $600,000, according to police. Following his arrest, he was taken to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
As the investigation into Schecter continues, detectives have urged anyone who knows of unreported incidents involving him to come forward.
Schecter has no relation to UCLA, according to the police statement.
