NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Residents of a Massachusetts city are on edge after a woman was violently attacked at a cemetery over the weekend, authorities said.
Police launched an investigation after Jessica Blanchard told officers that she was assaulted by a man at St. John’s Cemetery in New Bedford just after noon on Sunday.
Blanchard told WPRI-TV that she was visiting her grandparents’ grave when a man struck her in the face and demanded her wallet. Blanched claims the man punched her multiple times and tore her shirt after she refused to comply. She
“Thankfully, I was able to fight back and kick him off of me,” Blanchard explained.
The man then took off running.
News of the incident left neighborhood residents rattled.
“There are always people there visiting their loved ones. People walk dogs there,” Charlene Hochman said.
Michael Hochman added, “We’re out in the neighborhood all the time. There are a lot of kids living in this neighborhood. To think something like this could happen is pretty unsettling.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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