An 81-year-old woman was awakened in her bed by a man who broke into her Southwest Philadelphia home. The man beat and raped the elderly woman for two hours, police say.
The attack happened the night of Sept. 19 in the woman’s house on the 1300 block of South 51st Street, where the elderly woman has lived for 51 years.
Police say that the man entered the home through a first floor window.
"He slammed me around and pushed me around." said the woman. "He beat me in the face with his fists. He choked me until I almost stopped breathing."
"She's completely embarrassed about what has happened, that's her feelings about it,” her daughter says. “She hasn't told us everything but the things she's told us were brutal."
"He said, 'I want some money.' I said 'I don't have no money, I don't keep no money in the house.' He said, 'if you aint got no money I'm gonna set you on fire.' I started pleading, 'please don't set me on fire.'"
After the brutal assault, police say the man left through the back door of the home.
The victim is currently staying with a relative as she continues to recover both physically and emotionally. She hopes to return to her home as well as her church choir.
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A community meeting took place Thursday night at 6:30 at the Kingsessing Rec Center. During the meeting, residents with information on the assault were reportedly urged to come forward and reveal the identity of the attacker.
No word yet on any suspects. If you have any information, please call the Philadelphia Police.
