A 19-year old Barnard College student who was brutally attacked while jogging in Upper Manhattan on Monday morning has had her condition upgraded to stable at St. Luke’s Hospital.
The student was identified by family members as Marisa Cortright, according to DNAinfo.
Police said Cortright was jogging through Riverside Park approaching the tennis courts on 120th Street. when an assailant grabbed her threw her against a wall, causing Cortright to strike her head knocking her unconscious.
Her assailant left with nothing more than her iPod. But the attack left the teen with bleeding in the brain, a broken cheekbone and a multitude of lacerations to her face head and neck.
Police found the Oregon native lying unconscious on a park bench after an unidentified person called 911.
Cortright was spending her summer as a Resident Adviser at one of Columbia’s high school summer programs, a student of Cortright’s told DNAinfo.
The Columbia Spectator reported that Barnard Director of Public safety Dianna Pennetti emailed residents about the mugging.
The Spectator noted that the director emphatically said, “In light of this and other incidents in the neighborhood, I urge you to take your personal safety into consideration at all times. In particular, when entering the park in the early morning, around dusk, and after dark, always go with a friend and be aware of your surroundings.”
Police have released a sketch of a person of interest, that police describe the him as 6’2’’ in his 40’s and last seen wearing a long sleeved blue shirt and black pants.
Detectives at the 26th precinct are asking anyone who may have been in the area or has any information regarding this incident to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
