Elderly Woman Attacked on SEPTA Bus in Philadelphia, Police Say

An investigation is underway after an elderly woman was attacked on a SEPTA bus in Northeast Philadelphia.

The incident occurred on the Route 70 bus on Bustleton and Cottman avenues Tuesday around 7 p.m. Police said an elderly woman on the bus was physically assaulted.

Investigators don’t believe robbery was the motive but are trying to find more details regarding what led to the attack. Police also said they have surveillance video of the incident, which may have left the woman with a broken nose, but are not ready to release it at this point in the investigation.

Dana Gibson-Rogers said the attack left her friend bloodied. She spoke to the woman shortly after that about what she said led up to the beating.

"The person said 'don't let your bag touch me, keep your bag off me,'" Gibson-Rogers said. "She more or less told her 'it's not touching you.' From there she said the girl started cursing at her and just started hitting her."

Police are searching for a woman who was captured on surveillance video who they consider a person of interest in the incident. They describe her as a woman with black hair in her 30s who was last seen wearing a black jacket, yellow shirt, black pants and black shoes.

SEPTA Attack Suspect — A photo of a person of interest in the incident. See larger image here.

“If you’re the other party that was involved, we’re asking that you come forth,” SEPTA Police Lt. Michael Wright said. “Right now we don’t know a lot of information. We’re trying to figure out what happened so we would like to get your side of the story. So just come forth and share the information with us.”