Woman assaulted while running in Newton

By Evan Allen, Globe Correspondent

A woman who was assaulted today during a predawn jog along Commonwealth Avenue near Newton City Hall recounted her "tremendously scary" experience in the hope that it could make other women safer.

"I'm 31 years old. I read the news, I know what I should be doing," the Brighton resident said at a press conference at Newton police headquarters. "There's a whole bunch of 18-year-old girls out there running, too. I think this is something that they definitely need to be aware of."

Victim describes attack

The woman escaped unharmed, but Newton police are searching for the man who assaulted her. Her identity was not released.

The woman said she left her house just before 5 a.m., and it was still dark out as she came down the Commonwealth Avenue carriage lane toward Walnut Street, listening to her headphones, when she saw a man approaching her.

She held her keys in her left hand, she said, hoping she could use them as a weapon.

"He lunged at me. I lost footing and I fell backwards and then he was just over me, telling me to shush, and shush. Then I started screaming, then he ran off," she said as her voice broke.

He never touched her, she said, because she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"All I knew is, scream my heart out," she said. "All I kept thinking was, he?s gonna make me shut up. I just kept screaming."

She wasn't physically injured and didn't require medical attention, but the attack has left her badly shaken.

"I've run this a lot. I play field hockey and I box. I feel very strong and I never thought that somebody would attack me," she said. "I just feel very vulnerable."

She described the man as black, six feet tall, dressed in a black jacket, jeans, and a baseball cap with a star on it.

After he ran away, she said, she ran down Commonwealth Avenue and flagged down the first person she saw, who called the police.

Multiple police units canvassed the area but did not find the man.

The woman said she'd noticed a dark colored coupe, possibly a Nissan, drive by several times as she was running. She thought that car had been following her for at least a mile and a half, she said.

Newton Police Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker said that police are investigating whether the car was involved, but are not yet sure. The suspect took off on foot heading west on Commonwealth Ave.

Apotheker said that attacks of this nature are very rare in Newton, and that today's incident doesn't appear to be linked to any other attacks.

The woman said she wanted other women out jogging to be more aware of their surroundings, to lower the volume on their headphones, to run in groups, and to always tell friends or family where they are going.

Apotheker echoed her advice, saying that often, criminals choose their victims simply because they look vulnerable.

He said that while Newton is one of the safest cities in America, people still need to be vigilant.

"It goes to show you that these types of incidents can happen anywhere," he said.

Newton Police have asked that anyone with information call police at 617-796-2100, or use the TIPS-LINE at 617-796-2121.