attack

'That's her!': Victim comes forward after seeing Philly serial attacker's photo

Police say all of the incidents were unprovoked.

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

4th victim says she was attacked by woman in Philadelphia

Police say all of the incidents were unprovoked, and on Tuesday night a fourth victim came forward to speak about her frightening ordeal.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The search continues for a woman who is accused of attacking at least four people on SEPTA rides and city streets.

Police say all of the incidents were unprovoked, and on Tuesday night one of the victims came forward to speak about her frightening ordeal.

For the last week, a female suspect's photo has circulated among law enforcement after a brutal attack on a University of Pennsylvania student in Center City.

"She turned toward me and started running toward me. (She) swung on me and broke my glasses and my nose," said the young woman, who did not want to be identified.

"As the clip went on, I saw her face and I went numb," said Samantha Retamar of Frankford. "I was like, 'That's her! She's the same exact lady who hit me!'"

Retamar said it happened on September 1 around 5:30 p.m. when she was on the Market Frankford Line between the Somerset and Allegheny stops.

"Out of nowhere, I just felt boom, punch to the left side of my face and I was just shocked. So I looked up and there was a woman standing there," said Retamar. "And she was cursing at me and screaming at me."

Retamar alleges the suspect tried to hit her again, and a good Samaritan intervened. She said the suspect then got off at Allegheny.

Philadelphia police are searching for this woman who is wanted in connection with several unprovoked attacks in Center City.

SEPTA police say officers stopped and identified a suspect but could not make an arrest under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Retamar said she only suffered a mark on her face after the assault.

"What was nerve-wracking for me is she hit me in the eye," said Retamar. "I had a retinal detachment in that same eye several years ago so if I had got hit in that eye, she could have blinded me."

SEPTA police believe the same suspect is responsible for two assaults on November 20 involving a Villanova student and a University of Pennsylvania student.

The suspect also allegedly assaulted another person on September 1.

A second victim has come forward to say she was brutally attacked in Center City. Police are still searching for the suspect.

SEPTA has submitted an affidavit for an arrest warrant for the suspect and is waiting for it to be approved by the district attorney.

"She definitely has to be suffering from some kind of mental illness and that's why the pictures of her have been disseminated through all patrol, so we really have been on the manhunt for her," said SEPTA Police Captain Rodger Walls.

A spokesperson for SEPTA said they recently received a tip about a second possible person of interest who could have committed some of the attacks. They say it's a top priority to positively identify the offender.