December 01, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A woman was assaulted by two adolescents while riding an eastbound Market-Frankford Line train, according to SEPTA.
A 27-year-old woman allegedly was assaulted by two adolescent children while riding a Market-Frankford Line train Tuesday night.
The incident happened around 6:40 p.m., shortly after the woman and the adolescents –a 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl – boarded an eastbound train at 15th Street Station, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said.
Near Fifth Street Station, the train lurched forward, causing the adolescents to bump into the woman, Busch said. She then pushed the kids back and the situation escalated into a verbal exchange.
The adolescents each allegedly struck the woman when the train reached Second Street Station, breaking her glasses. The woman also suffered a cut on her lip and a possible scratch on her eye but refused medical treatment, Busch said.
The adolescents were apprehended shortly after the incident and were charged with simple assault, he said. The woman will not be charged.
"She did not act in an aggressive manner toward the juveniles," Busch said. "They escalated the situation when they threatened to hit her and then both of them punched her."
There is no evidence the attack was racially motivated, Busch said, despite claims posted to social media.
Earlier this week, City Council held a joint-committee hearing to address public transit safety concerns. In October, a woman was sexually assaulted while riding the El in Upper Darby. Last month, four teenage girls were charged with ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault in an incident on the Broad Street Line.
