Photo: Getty Images
A Good Samaritan saved a woman who was brutally attacked by a stranger while walking to work. Daniel Valsecchi was driving through Bridgton, Maine, early Saturday (December 11) morning when he saw items scattered across the side of the road.
When he saw a person's feet on the ground, he thought somebody had slipped on the snow-covered road and turned around to see if they needed help.
As he pulled up, he saw a man attacking a woman on the ground. Valsecchi jumped out of his car and started yelling at the attacker, who fled into the woods.
"It happened so quick. He was on top of her and jumped off," Valsecchi told the Portland Press Herald. "When I saw the lady's face, I knew immediately what was happening."
Valsecchi rushed over to the woman, Melissa Scammon, to check on her condition. He offered to drive her someplace safe and then called the police.
Scammon told officers the suspect, later identified as Jon Mitchell, blindsided her as she was walking down the dark road. She tried to fight him off using pepper spray, but he managed to overpower her. At one point during the attack, Mitchell tried to suffocate Scammon.
Scammon was seriously injured in the brutal attack, suffering a broken arm and nose and a shattered cheekbone. She was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery to insert pins into her arm.
Officers located Mitchell about 45 minutes later and took him into custody. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault and could face additional charges.
"It really shocked the community. These things don't happen in Bridgton, Maine. We have a very safe, strong community. I think that was accented by that stopped and did the right thing. He saved her life," Bridgton Police Chief Phillip Jones said.