MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A 54-year-old woman was violently attacked in Martin County as she attempted to get into her car Thursday morning, deputies said.
The random attack occurred at about 6 a.m. in the New Monrovia community near the corner of 47th Avenue and Field Street.
According to a post on the Martin County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the attacker ambushed the woman and began choking her.
Deputies said she was able to fight him off, but then he lunged into her vehicle and stole her bag.
The victim told detectives that the attacker was a younger man with a slim build and about 5-foot-7. The crook was wearing a mask and all-black clothing and was last seen running east on Field Street.
"We don't have a lot to go on," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said, "but my detectives have a tradition out of making something out of nothing."
Investigators said the stolen bag has a pink "Bahamas" insignia on the front.
Anyone who finds the bag or has surveillance footage of that area is urged to call the sheriff's office at 772-220-7060 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-8477.
The sheriff said the agency is offering a $500 reward to anybody who finds the bag.
Snyder, who has been the sheriff of Martin County for the last 10 years, said he can't remember the last time the department dealt with a similar call and called the attack "an outlier." He also said the agency is asking for the public's help because it has few leads.
"The challenge for us is this occurred before the sun rose, so there was no light," Snyder said. "The suspect was covered from head to toe. He had a ski mask on and a hoodie and dark clothes. We have no vehicle description, so, we're really counting on the neighborhood."
Megan Pike, who lives near the scene, said she got a text message alerting her about the crime. She said she ran by the house to scope out the area because it's unusual to see a crime nearby.
"This neighborhood is up and coming," Pike said. "There are still some bad apples, but that's every neighborhood."
WPTV spoke with the victim Thursday night, but she was too shaken from the attack to speak on camera.
