WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Police have identified a man they believe attacked a woman who was jogging with her baby last Friday on the Hudson River Greenway.
Oscar Ruiz, 35, threatened Mary Jane Jarman, 33, with a broken bottle and tackled her along a bicycle path near 190th Street as she exercised with her 8-month-old son, Thane, she said.
"I started screaming, trying to attract attention. He came at me," Jarman told DNAinfo New York after the incident on Sept. 27.
Jarman ran about a 100 yards down the path before Ruiz grabbed her and took her down to the ground, cops said.
The mother was able to break free, grab a bicycle pump she had stashed in the stroller and smash him over the head about two to three times until he started to bleed, she said.
"I kept hitting him to defend myself," Jarman said. "I was protecting [my son] with my life."
Ruiz then retreated, telling her in broken English "I'm really sorry, I'm sick," she said.
Police described Ruiz as 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 160 pounds, according to police. He was last seen wearing thermal shirt and blue jeans.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
