Assaults Along Schuylkill River Trail Raise Concerns

A series of assaults and harassment of women along the Schuylkill River Trail has many users distressed and has raised new concerns about security.

On Wednesday night at about 8:30 p.m., one runner witnessed a group of five teenage African-American males cornering a female runner on the trail.

“She explained they had been harassing her & slapping her butt then cornered her w/the bikes,” said Heather Ryan. “Understandably she was very shaken up but did not want to call the police.”

Others in the Facebook group she posted in said they recognized the crew and that they were responsible for several other similar incidents in the recent past.

Ryan said the incident occurred near the Race Street entrance to the Schuylkill Banks portion of the trail in Philadelphia.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of it all: Ryan said she called the police to report the incident, and the operator didn’t know what the Schuylkill River Trail was.

“I even explained it is the running trail that runs along the River...no clue. How is this even possible?” Ryan added.

While this particular situation has only been reported along the Philadelphia portion of the trail, security concerns for users of the trail are nothing new.

In Phoenixville, residents cited security along the trail as a top priority for the borough.

“(There needs to be) some way to make the trail not a scary place to want to walk or run,” said Marissa DiCindio. “Going back there alone with only a large field on one side and a bank down to the water on the other, coupled with scary people that “hang out” back there makes it completely uninviting.”

DiCindio recommended cameras or emergency phones be installed along the trail to give walkers and joggers a sense of peace of mind.

She’s not the only one who has brought up issues of trail safety.

Robin Carroll Ambroziak specifically noted “crime on the trail” as the one thing she would change about Phoenixville.

The Phoenixville Police Department cited three cases of males either drinking alcohol or selling it to minors on the trail, which could be seen as a sign that parts of the trail are a haven for less than legal activities.

The Schuylkill River Trail stretches through the heart of Montgomery County, and runs through Manayunk, Conshohocken, Norristown, Phoenixville, Spring City, and Pottstown, among others.

Earlier in the summer, the trail was named the best Urban Trail in America.