Woman brutally attacked by mask-wearing suspect at apartment parking lot in Hatfield: police

Surveillance captures woman viciously attacked by mask-wearing man in Hatfield

Police are investigating a horrific incident that was caught on camera in Hatfield where a woman was brutally attacked by a mask and glove-wearing suspect.

HATFIELD, Pa. - WARNING: The above video of this incident is disturbing and hard to watch.

A terrifying scene unfolded in a Montgomery County parking lot where a woman was viciously attacked by a suspect wearing gloves and a ski mask. 

The motive for the attack remains a mystery, and a neighbor was horrified to watch the brutal beating unfold on his doorbell camera. 

What we know:

On Thursday at around 4:30 a.m., Hatfield police officers responded to the 2000 block of Maple Avenue, Hatfield Village Apartments, for a 911 call about a person who was assaulted while exiting their residence. 

The suspect fled the scene prior to police arrival and was reportedly wearing gloves and a ski mask. 

The victim was transported by the Volunteer Medical Service Corps to Grand View Hospital for evaluation. 

This is an active investigation. 

What they're saying:

FOX 29's Steve Keeley spoke with the neighbor who called police.

"It was about 4:30 a.m. this morning when I heard a blood-curdling scream," said Chris Stevens, a neighbor.

It was right outside Chris Stevens' apartment.

"It happened so fast, in a manner I think about 20 seconds," Stevens added.

Enough time for the attacker to repeatedly punch and kick the woman as she left for work this morning. 

The attacker was hiding and waiting for her to come out, Stevens believes, after watching the video recorded by his Ring camera in his window.

"On the video, it showed a guy all dressed in black with a black ski mask. It seemed like he hid next to the door on the video it looked for about 10 minutes, and he proceeded to look for her to come outside. It looked like and  then he jumped on her, kicking her and punching her. It was awful," Stevens described.

"I'm actually kind of scared," said Alexia Sowders, another neighbor, reacting after seeing the video.

Hatfield Village notified its tenants in the following email this afternoon:

"Dear Valued Residents,
There was an incident between a resident and an individual in our community parking lot this morning. The matter is currently under investigation by the Hatfield Twp Police.

In the spirit of maintaining privacy, we cannot share any additional details at this time. We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide further updates should any pertinent information arise.

Thank you for understanding"

Hatfield Police Chief William Tierney says, "this does appear to be targeted, but we are looking at all possibilities."

"It's frightening to find out about something like this, so I'm not comfortable living here," Sowders expressed. "Typically, I carry a box cutter or something on me. I work in a restaurant as a kitchen manager, and I'm not afraid to defend myself, so I probably would have used a box cutter on him."

"I'm normally awake at that time. This morning I actually slept in, and I normally see her when I go to leave for work in the morning, so I feel really bad about not being able to be there," Stevens said.

"It's just tragic. I just really worry about her, and I hope she's doing okay," Stevens added.

What you can do:

Anyone who may have witnessed this assault is requested to contact the Hatfield Police Department at (215) 855-0903.