Gardaí in Drogheda say a woman has been left traumatised after she was attacked by a man who pulled her into the Boyne river this morning.
The man tried to take her clothes off while struggling with her in the water, gardaí confirmed.
During her ordeal the man did not speak to her once.
They have issued an appeal for anyone who may have seen the man after the attack, when he would have been soaking wet, to contact them.
They have also advised people “not to jog alone”.
Garda Superintendent Gerry Smith said the woman was jogging on her own at about 9am yesterday when she was attacked on the footpath that runs alongside the Boyne and connects Drogheda with Oldbridge near the site of the Battle of the Boyne.
The woman first noticed there was a man behind her as she jogged over the bridge of peace, in the town centre, and she then turned down to St Dominic’s Park, beside the playground, and made her way to the ramparts walkway to Oldbridge.
She was about 2km away from the town when she suspected the man was not another jogger and decided she should turn back towards Drogheda on safety grounds.
Superintendent Smith said “he made advances” on her and she held out her iPhone believing that was what he wanted.
However the man then grabbed her and a struggle ensued and she tried to get away. In the struggle she was pushing him away and towards a small wall beside the river’s edge.
The man would not let go of her and pulled her over the wall with him into the river.
He continued to struggle with her in the water and tried to remove her clothes.
He gave up and left the water and ran off. Gardaí believe he may have been seen by members of the public.
“I am appealing for witnesses who were around the bridge of peace, St Dominic’s Park, the Ramparts and the Rathmullen road and would have seen him to come forward.”
He said the man would have been wet. He is described as being aged 23-25, of thin build and about 5 feet 7 inches tall.
He was wearing a black woolly hat and black jacket and had on either black trousers or jeans. The jacket he was wearing was too big for him, gardaí said.
He did not have any gloves on and did not speak to the woman. He had a pale face and blue eyes.
Gardaí say the woman got out of the water and met another jogger who brought her to the garda station.
“She is very badly shaken, it was very traumatic for her and she is assisting us with our enquiries,” gardaí said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí on 041-987200 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666-111.