An NIU student was the victim of an attempted robbery early Friday morning.

At 2:04 a.m. in the 700 block of Annie Glidden Road, the student was walking alone on the sidewalk when she was approached by three men.

One of the suspects asked the student for a cigarette and a lighter and when she reached into her purse to look for them, one of the men demanded her wallet.

The victim then pulled a can of pepper spray from her purse, sprayed the suspect in the face and fled the area. No property was taken.

Police don’t believe the victim was followed, and that the men fled the area after one suspect was sprayed, said Lt. Gary Spangler of the DeKalb Police Department.

Spangler said the way the perpetrators started a conversation with the victim is similar to past robberies, and a connection between the crimes is possible.

“You have to look at them individually, but can’t overlook the obvious,” he said. “For these type of criminals and these type of crimes, the [mode of operation] is generally going to be somewhat the same.”