Woman uses bike helmet to stop groping suspect in South Philadelphia

A Philadelphia woman went from bystander to defender Monday after she said she whacked a man who was assaulting a woman in Point Breeze with her bicycle helmet. Now, police are asking for help identifying the perpetrator.

Mary Martin was on her way home from work when she sprang into action Monday afternoon. She said she watched a man assault a woman near the 1800 block of Federal Street around 4:15 p.m. and whacked the man with her bike helmet, leading the man to flee.

"I was just appalled at how brazen this guy was to just do this and walk away," Martin said.

Martin said she first yelled at the man to stop, which got his attention.

"He stopped, turned around," Martin said. "They both faced me, and I saw the woman was really upset, and I got really angry on her behalf. He tried to walk past me. I was holding my bike helmet, so I started hitting him with it because I wasn't thinking. I wanted to stop the guy." 

Martin said her first instinct was to intervene. As the man was leaving, she snapped pictures of the suspect.

"At a certain point," she said, "I realized I was putting myself in danger, so I was like, Let me get some pictures and make sure the woman was OK.'"

Police said a 63-year-old woman reported a man she didn't know approached her from behind Monday and inappropriately touched her.

No injuries were reported, according to police. Police are still searching for the suspect. They said the special victims unit is handling the investigation.

Residents in the neighborhood said it made them nervous, and they're going to be more aware of their surroundings now.

"Normally, I feel safe around here," Patricia Johnson of Point Breeze said. "That's the first time something like that happened. I have to watch myself."