Woman tells police she was not abducted from Philadelphia SEPTA bus
CRESCENTVILLE -- In a bizarre change of events, a woman claiming to be the victim depicted on video being forcibly taken from a SEPTA bus told Philadelphia police that she was not abducted.
Authorities say the woman arrived at Northeast Detective Division identifying herself as the 20-year-old who was grabbed from a bus on Roosevelt Boulevard in the city's Crescentville neighborhood.
Police, however, are continuing the investigation to determine what actually occurred.
It happened around 2 a.m. Friday when a man, who was driving a Silver Pontiac Grand Am or Grand Prix with Delaware temporary tags, pulled up closely to the bus when it stopped to pick up passengers.
PHOTOS: Woman taken forcibly from SEPTA bus
A man got out of the car and began shouting at the woman sitting on the bus.
Witnesses say he then punched the window where the woman was sitting, cracking the window.
He then tried to get on the bus through the front door, but the driver pulled off.
RAW VIDEO: SEPTA bus abduction
A few blocks farther south, in the 4200 block of Roosevelt Boulevard, the bus stopped to pick up more passengers.
Witnesses told police the man pulled in front of the bus as the woman was getting off.
They say he grabbed the woman and punched her several times in the head and face before forcing her into the back seat of the vehicle.
The car then left the scene, heading south on the outer lanes of the boulevard.
According to police, the woman made some comments on the bus, saying the man was crazy, but she never said his name.
Police said the victim and the suspect may know each other, and that this may be a violent domestic case.
The bus was taken to SEPTA's Frankford Transportation Center for further investigation.
SEPTA buses are equipped with surveillance cameras. Police are hoping surveillance video from the bus will give them a better description of the man and woman.
Investigators are looking for a 2005-2008 silver Grand AM or Grand Prix. They say another man may have been in the car during the incident.
They have run checks in several states on the temporary registration, but uncovered no leads.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.
