ORLANDO, Fla. – A jogger fought off a man who grabbed her and attempted to drag her into his car near the Jay Blanchard Trail on Tuesday, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The woman was out for a jog between 11:30 a.m. and noon when a man in a silver sedan pulled up to her, exited out the passenger side, grabbed her by her shirt and attempted to pull her toward the car, a news release said.
The woman screamed and fought. She was able to fight the man off and run away. She suffered two small scratches on the top of her chest.
Residents on alert after the Sheriff's Office released a sketch of the man who tried to kidnap the woman on the Econ River Trail.
"It will make me think but it's not going to stop me from running," Gerri James said.
James said she's been jogging the trail every day for the last 25 years and has never see the suspect's face in the area.
"I usually run when it's dawn, so there's not many people out there at all. Maybe a year ago a man exposed himself to me, so there are some weirdos along the trail, but you still have to get out there and get exercise," James said. "I usually run with a weapon. It's called a ninja spike. It's really light. I've never had to use it. Thankful."
The man is described as a white man between 50 and 60 years old with salt-and-pepper hair and a scruffy beard. He's approximately 6 feet tall and weighs 215-230 pounds. He was last seen wearing jeans and a black shirt.
The attempted kidnapping happened near where University of Central Florida graduate Nicole Ganguzza was found dead in 2008. Officials said someone grabbed Ganguzza, an avid jogger, and dragged her into the woods at Jay Blanchard Park. An arrest has never been made in connection with her death.
One mother said she's taking extra precautions.
"There could be a little more surveillance, like more police around. I've never seen police officers riding through here," Rachelle Cruz said.
Anyone with information about Tuesday's incident is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.