Woman, 89, attacked while walking home from grocery store in South Side

PITTSBURGH — An 89-year-old woman was attacked on Pittsburgh’s South Side while she was on her way home from a grocery store, police said.

Edith DiMarcelli told Channel 11 News that she is lucky to have escaped the attack on 19th Street with mostly scrapes and bruises.

“A fellow approached me from behind, no idea who he was, and he yanked my purse,” she said. “He just yanked it right off me and knocked me down.”

The incident happened in broad daylight. Police said DiMarcelli was walking on a sidewalk and waved the man to go ahead of her when it became narrow.

At first, the man passed DiMarcelli, but then turned around and started following her.

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“I just couldn't believe this was happening to me, and before you know it, I found myself on the ground,” DiMarcelli said. “I injured my head, hand and knee.”

DiMarcelli has seen the South Side change over the years, but never expected anything like this to happen to her. Nevertheless, she won’t let the attack deter her.

“He will not scare me off. I'll do what I’m supposed to do as usual. No man is gonna scare me like that,” she said. “Whoever did it, I hope he'll pay the price. Someday, it's gonna happen to him and he's gonna really realize, ‘God, what did I do to that woman?’”

Police said the man, who appeared to be in his 40s, was wearing a white, long-sleeved T-shirt and either tan shorts or pants.

Cox Media Group