Area On Edge After Jogger Assaulted On Main Line Trail

By Jan Carabeo

TREDYFFRIN, Pa. (CBS) – Police have released a sketch of the suspect wanted in connection with a brazen assault in broad daylight on Philadelphia's Main Line.

A 25-year-old woman was assaulted while jogging along a trail in a wooded section near Devon Park Drive and Old Eagle School Road in Tredyffrin.

The woman thought she was helping someone in distress, but the suspect had other plans.

Police say her attacker is a white or Hispanic man in his 30s or 40s with an average build.

"I'm surprised to hear a story like this," says Shaun Bolds, of Philadelphia.

And Beatrice Reale, who works in the area, agrees.

"[I'm] actually shocked," she says.

And they're concerned enough to think twice about taking a run or a bike ride on the Tredyffrin Township trail, even on a beautiful day such as Tuesday.

"I think about it all the time; I think about my safety all the time," says Gretchen Cooney, of Newtown Square. "You just have to be careful and aware of your surroundings."

No matter what time of day. Police say it was 3 p.m. on Monday when the victim went for a jog after work.

She took the connecting trail between the Treyburn Development and the Evolve Business Complex when she came upon a man who appeared to be injured and was sitting near a tunnel.

He asked for help, and she attempted to assist him. That's when police say he threw her down and tried to drag her into the woods.

"She fought and got away from him," says Lt. Taro Landis, with the Tredyffrin Township Police Department. "I praise her tenacity."

Now, police are searching for the suspect and asking for the public's help. They've released a sketch and surveillance video, and they've increased patrols in the area.

The victim's friends tell Eyewitness News that the suspect tried to knock her out with a rock. She came running back to where she works to call 911.

Police also tell us that the victim has a long scar on his calf – something else they plan to use to track him down. They say it's between six and eight inches long with pronounced marks that look like stitches.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.