"Don't scream...I have a gun." Those are the words uttered to a woman moments before she was pulled into the bushes and raped in Fairmount Park Tuesday night, according to Philadelphia police.
The woman, 34, told police she was confronted in the parking lot on Bells Mill Road near Forbidden Drive about 6:30 p.m., as she was trying to put her handbag under the seat of her car. The man came up from behind and pressed an object to her back before pulling her into the woods, authorities said during a press conference Wednesday.
"Quite frankly, this victim is quite distraught," police Capt. John Darby said. She drove herself to Chestnut Hill Hospital for treatment.
The description police have is that the man was wearing white work gloves, dirty blue jeans and tan work boots. His voice was described as "gruff." Authorities do not know the assailant's race, height or weight.
Last night's attack occurred two years to the day of the last attack by the Fairmount Park rapist, but a police source tells us they do not think it is the same man.
Police are going to be back in the busy area starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, handing out flyers and hoping to find someone who may have witnessed the attack.
"We've got a predator out there and we've got to find him," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey after visiting the scene. "Its always tragic when you have something like this take place. It changes a person's life."
The top cop encouraged people to buddy up when they go for a walk or jog and to "be aware" of their surroundings.
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