Elderly Mayfair Woman Attacked By Female Intruder
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A 94-year-old woman from Mayfair recalls a terrifying wakeup call. She says she woke up to find an intruder standing over her in her bedroom. The search continues for the intruder.
"Yelling at me, 'Where's the money? Where's the money?'" Madeleine Hope said.
Hope says she may look frail, but it takes a lot more to frighten her. She says she remained calm even when the intruder grew angrier.
"She put her hands around my neck and tried to choke me and she said she was going to kill me."
According to Hope, the intruder was a middle-aged heavyset black female who confronted her in the bedroom after breaking in through a window. It happened just before 6 a.m. on November 15th.
Hope says the intruder at one point tried to push her down the stairs but failed. But she did get away with her purse containing about $100, her driver's license and credit cards.
"I wondered why she did select my house because I don't have any money, jewelry or anything," Hope said.
Hope's neighbor, Milt Martelack added, "I was very disturbed by this."
This concerned neighbor suspects the intruder considered Hope an easy target. But Martelack and neighbors on the 3500 block of Aldine Street say they will make sure no one else falls victim on their watch.
"I've knocked on some doors, made the senior citizens aware. I made the other neighbors aware so we can all look out for each other. This is a team effort," Martelack said.
Police say fingerprints found at the scene are being analyzed and their investigation is continuing.
Reported By: Elizabeth Hur, CBS 3
