Our tipster shared her story on condition of anonymity because she felt it was important to make sure others were aware of recent attacks on the Schuylkill trail – especially women. Because we love this city, our parks and outdoor space – we felt it was important to share this firsthand account with you.

As we first reported in the Fall, there were a series of similar attacks on the Schuylkill trail, including verbal and physical harassment. Now, female graduate student came forward with another account from last Wednesday. This is her account:      

“I was running southbound on the Schuylkill river trail on Wednesday 3/30 around 6pm on a very busy running day. I was just before the intersection with Race street, where there is an exit from the trail to the railroad tracks.

I was running with headphones on and all of a sudden a young, prepubescent boy on a bike came from behind and hit my behind with his hand. Following him immediately were approximately 3 more young males on bikes. They biked briefly ahead but then stopped and were weaving in and out of each other in the middle of the trail. I kept running and was eventually even with them, and luckily also even with the exit onto Race Street.

I still had my headphones on (stupidly) so I have no idea what they were saying, but they kept looking at me and trying to form around me. I figured their bikes could not go over the railway tracks so I just skirted between their bikes and onto the tracks and Race St. They left shortly after that and I didn’t see them again when I reentered the trail.” 

She wanted to reach out because she didn’t know these attacks were still happening or what to do. If you are a victim, here’s a few things you can do. The number one thing to note is that reporting incidents help provide police a track record to continue enforcing areas.

One alarming part of this story is that she was running on a busy trail with 20 + runners and walkers. Let me be clear: No one ever deserves to be attacked, but it happens in a large city such as ours. But as a woman, we tend to think there’s safety in numbers – which is even more discouraging that this happened in daylight hours and no one seemed to notice or help this woman.

Runners, bikers & Schuylkill Trail River users: If you’re attacked, please call 911 and follow these steps.

Overall, let’s PLEASE watch out for each other – whether you’re attacked or a passerby. There’s a few things you can do in this situation (as a witness):

• Call 911 & note where the incident occurs.
• Intervene (with caution)
• Ask if the person is OK
• Contact your city council member to ensure future action.

There’s always a risk of danger, especially in cities. But while we encourage more responses from the authorities (or bringing back the Fairmount Park Rangers… anyone?!?), it’s time to be more aware on the trails.

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher