A woman was rescued from an attacker on Towpath Trail in Akron, Ohio, on June 28, according to a police report. The incident occurred while the victim was running.
The jogger spotted an unidentified individual sitting on the ground while running on the route near West Bartges Street in downtown Akron at around 8:30 p.m.
On one pass, she breezed by him unimpeded. However, she claimed to have felt an arm slip past her neck on her second lap. According to the woman, the man horse-collared her to the ground, and she lay unconscious for a while afterward.
She thought she was about to die. She said that as it happened, she felt as though she was having a bad dream.
As the assault was unfolding, a passerby on the same path noticed the man lying on top of the unconscious woman. In an effort to help the woman, he cautiously approached the suspect and started asking questions. He wondered if he knew her, trying to figure out if the man was helping her or assaulting her.
As soon as he saw the good samaritan, the suspect fled on foot toward the south side of the trail.
After the woman regained consciousness, she woke up screaming, got to her feet, and started to flee, which prompted more bystanders to rush to her aid and contact the authorities.
A few scrapes and bruises were all she suffered physically. Mentally is another story.
The onlooker, she claimed, was a miracle, saying he came to her rescue.
The victim and the onlooker both described the suspect as a slim white male, around 5 feet and 10 inches tall, wearing black shorts and a shirt with a graphic design.
The police have apprehended no one in connection with the apparently random attack.
The woman stated that going forward, she would not use her headphones in noise-cancellation mode when running. Along with that, she plans to enroll in self-defense training and purchase pepper spray. She went on to say that the Towpath Trail will no longer be one of her running routes.
The most famous case of a jogging attack is the tragic event known as The Central Park Jogger Case.
