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Police think a man who assaulted a woman along the Jordan River Trail may have assaulted other women there

Posted at 10:56 AM, Jun 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-21 20:29:12-04

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Police think the man who attacked a woman in broad daylight on the Jordan River Trail may have been involved in other attacks in the area.

A woman was assaulted as she jogged along the Jordan River Trail Thursday just before 1:30 p.m. in Taylorsville, according to Sgt. Melody Gray of Unified Police Department.

The man "bear-hugged her" and "thrust his body against her" from behind, Gray said.

The woman started screaming and fighting back, eventually biting the suspect on his forearm. He ran off and she called 911.

Police say this may not be an isolated incident.

"We had similar incidents occurring last summer in the same area, so it is of a concern," Gray said.

In 2018, police received several reports of women who were randomly attacked along the trail between 4100 South and 4500 South.

The victim described the attacker as a black male about 5’8” with a medium build. He was wearing a red t-shirt and black basketball shorts and probably has a bite mark on one of his arms.

The Special Victims Unit is determining if it's the same individual from last year.

Mary Taylor and her dog Bailey were walking along the same trail Friday without a care in the world.

"Today is a perfect day. You couldn’t ask for better weather. The sun’s out," Taylor said.

That is until we told her what happened 24 hours ago.

"I’m stunned, to tell you the truth," she said.

She's now considering extra protection.

"We’re out here every day. It makes me want to be a little more aware," Taylor said. "Maybe it’s time to go get some mace."

But Taylor is refusing to let this suspect scare her away.

"I don’t want to stop doing this. This is part of our day," she said.

If you know anything about this incident or who the suspect may be, please contact Unified Police.