A woman out for an afternoon walk along one of Philadelphia's most popular trails became the victim of an assault where her attacker pushed her to the ground and put dirt in her mouth, according to police.
A 51-year-old woman told police she went for a walk around 4:30 p.m. Friday on a trail near Gate House Lane inside the Wissahickon Creek Park section of Fairmount Park in the Chestnut Hill section of the city.
After walking for about a half hour, the woman noticed a man in his late 20s passing by her on the trail, according to police.
The man -- described by police as a large built man standing about 6-feet tall -- then came up from behind and grabbed the woman, police said. He demanded money from the victim but she told him she didn't have any on her, according to authorities.
The victim told police that the suspect told her to empty her pockets before he pushed her to the ground. Once on the ground the man began choking the victim around her neck and shoved dirt in her mouth. During the attack, the man asked the woman for sex, according to police.
After nearly a 10 minute struggle the woman broke free and called police on a passerby's cellphone.
Police said the suspect wore a red polo shirt with white writing, tan pants and a baseball cap -- possibly green in color -- during the attack.
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The assault comes just a few months after a series of car thefts in Wissahickon Park's parking lot.
The park preservation group, Friends of the Wissahickon, offer a list of park safety tips to avoid trouble.
