Woman Assaulted While Jogging At Haddon Lake Park: Police

A woman was assaulted by a strange man while she was jogging at Haddon Lake Park over the weekend. Police have questioned one man in connection with the assault, but charges have not yet been filed.

She was jogging at the park at about 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, when a man grabbed her from behind and forced her into a struggle, according to Mount Ephraim police.

She suffered minor scrapes and abrasions, but was able to escape the assault, police said. She said the man who attacked her was wearing a puffy black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, possibly a mask and black shoes. He ran off into a wooded area behind the Mount Ephraim Little League baseball fields.

The Oaklyn Police Department’s K9 team responded to the scene and assisted in a search that resulted in a man matching that description being taken into custody, police said. The man was questioned and released on unrelated charges. He has not yet been charged with or linked to this assault.

This case is still under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Sergeant Jason Dobleman at jdobleman@mountephraimpd.com or Mount Ephraim Police dispatch at 856-931-2220.

• Try to refrain from running during night or low light hours. If you must, carry a flashlight or head mounted light to light your route and help you maintain awareness of your surroundings. Running at night should never be done in areas you are unfamiliar with.
• Wear bright reflective clothing and try to remain in well lit portions of your route.
• Always try to run in pairs. Even if you don’t have a running partner, try to stay within visual and audible distances from other runners / walkers and be aware of warnings or signals of danger from those around you.
• Reduce the volume of your audio components or remove them from your running experience all together. Hearing is as important as seeing, especially when running alone or at night.
• Prepare your phone for a quick and easy 9-1-1 call. Most mobile devices have features that allow a series of button presses or just a verbal command, to dial 9-1-1. Take advantage of those features to ensure that dialing 9-1-1 can be done quickly and with relative ease. Do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 in any situation where you feel that you or a fellow runner is in danger or distress.

Image via Shutterstock