Woman assaulted while jogging on Towpath Trail credits bystander - MASHAHER

A woman was attacked while running and then saved by a bystander on Towpath Trail in Akron June 28, according to a police report.

Around 8:30 p.m., a woman was jogging on the trail near West Bartges Street in downtown Akron, where she saw an unknown male sitting on the ground.

She ran past him once with no issue. But when she turned around for the second time, she said she felt an arm go past her neck. She said the male dragged her to the ground, where she lost consciousness for an unknown time.

“I thought I was going to die. I thought it was a dream,” the woman told Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland.

During the attack, a bystander was walking on the same trail and saw the male on top of her while she was unconscious. He walked up to her and began to ask the suspect if he knew her and tried to aid the woman.

The suspect then fled the scene, heading south on the trail.

The woman regained consciousness and ran away shouting; that’s when more people came and called the ambulance and police for her. She had minor injuries and scratches.

She said the bystander was a miracle. “He saved me,” she told News 5.

Both the bystander and the woman said the suspect was about 5-foot-10-inches tall and was a white, skinny male with a black graphic design shirt and black shorts.

Police told News 5 they don’t have any suspects for the seemingly random attack.

Staying safe while running

The woman said she now won’t run with her headphones on noise-cancellation mode. She also bought pepper spray and says she will start talking self-defense classes. She adds that she won’t run on Towpath Trail anymore.

Here are ways to stay safe while exercising outdoors, according to USA Today’s Reviewed: