Updated: 2:30 a.m. Tuesday

DeKALB | Three students were assaulted at about 3 a.m. Saturday morning while walking back to Grant North.

The three students, who were required to go outside to pick up a pizza due to Homecoming regulations, were on their way to the residence hall when a car carrying at least four individuals pulled up beside them. The individuals approached and confronted the three students.

“They started punching him. They surrounded him,” Lisa Cereone, mother of Joseph M. Gnutek, one of the victims, told reporter Charlie Wojciechowski Monday. “One got him down on one arm, one on the other, and they were doing running starts and kicking him in the head like a football.”

Wojciechowski, who works for WMAQ, Chicago’s NBC television affiliate, was on campus Monday along with Cereone.

“We don’t know if they wanted the pizza, but words were exchanged,” said Melanie Magara, assistant vice president of public affairs. “After that, a beating ensued.”

Justin M. Pisellini, a freshman undeclared business major, was seriously injured in the attack and was left unconscious. Gnutek, a freshman undeclared business major, and one other student were also injured. Pisellini was admitted to Kishwaukee Community Hospital early Saturday and released later that day.

Pisellini was kicked so badly, however, the imprint of his attacker’s heel was clearly visible on his forehead on Monday, according to nbc5.com.

Another victim also was treated before being released.

“He had shoe prints in his face,” Laurie Pisellini told the Daily Chronicle. “This was just a vicious, heinous attack.”

Of the four known perpetrators, two were NIU students. All were taken into custody shortly after the attack.

“Suspects were very quickly identified. Two of them have confessed,” Magara told NBC. “One of those two is a student, and that’s why the judicial process is moving quickly against that student as well, to suspend him from campus and then get him into the judicial process, which will result in further sanctions.”

Whether or not the two students will be expelled will depend on their judicial hearing, Magara said.

Usually, students can have pizzas delivered to their residence halls. However, due to the policies enforced during the weekend, the students had to retrieve the food on foot.

“During Homecoming, they closed the west side of campus so that it was just foot traffic,” Magara said. “Since they ordered the pizza so early in the morning, they had to leave to pick it up.”

The incident also came in the wake of regulations enforced at Stevenson Towers over the weekend. Students could not have food delivered to the inner entrance and were also required to carry passes if they wished to move from one side of the building to the other.

These rules were aimed at “maintaining a safe and secure environment, particularly during times with many visitors on campus,” said Kelly Wesener, executive director of Housing and Dining. “Due to the increased number of guests on our campus for Homecoming, we want to be certain that those who are not residents or registered guests are unable to access our buildings.”

Wesener declined to further comment on why students could not have food delivered to them inside the building.

Campus police told NBC there were no aggravated assaults on campus last year, and only three off-campus or on public property.

“I think they should increase their police force and also get police dogs,” Cereone said. “I think that would help the police officers a lot.”

Students’ reaction to the incident was mixed.

“I believe it’s a safe campus. I mean, things are going to happen on every campus. It’s, like, inevitable,” freshman finance major Scott Bingaman told NBC Monday.