I've always carried pepper spray on my keys. Thankfully, I've never needed it. I have several different ones; each works a little differently, so you have to be familiar with the one you are carrying. Also, you have to have it accessible -- so you can grab it quickly. In a purse probably would not be adequate.

That's the problem with so many of these incidents -- they happen when your attention is elsewhere, even briefly. Even if this victim had a spray on her keys but had put it down / left it in the door while she was getting her groceries, it wouldn't have helped her.

Daylight is normally pretty safe. Especially when neighbors were nearby moments before. It doesn't sound like there was much she could have done, she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don't know what I would have done in that situation, after being told to shut up. Comply and hope that the perp just takes what he's after and leaves? Hard not to scream, and it worked for her. She's very lucky that it didn't get much worse. I'm glad that it turned out as well as it did (although I feel bad that it had to happen at all); it is sad to see what appears to be an increase in bad things happening in the 'hood.

Well, if a musclebound maroon superhero like Duggernaut gets a pit in his stomach, maybe I should, too...

Pepper Spray: Guns For Liberals

Don't mean to seem to pick on you, but I have always thought that that's the dumbest thing to say about a victim. Being in her own house in the middle of the day is being "at the wrong place at the wrong time?" Then does that make the culprit Johnny on the Spot?

If this guy wants to make an attempt at my place - He'd be taken off the street by the smoking end of my .40 caliber....

I agree with the past posters - its crap like this that gives you a bad feeling about doing daily chores - but hopefully it will be a reminder to those of us that sometimes let our guard down...

The male responsible for this home invasion has been arrested and is custody. I heard yesterday from my boss that he is charged with this robbery and several others that occurred in the Center City area.

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I think you're overanalyzing a bit there (what - on Phillyblog??? Perish the thought! )

The saying just means that it was a crime of opportunity - the perp didn't specifically target the victiom, they both just ended up at the same place at the same time. It's not using "wrong" in the sense that she "did" something wrong, it just means that throw bad luck she ended up in the path of the criminal.

Bravo! I am so relieved that this man is off the streets! Do you know if the victim was informed - I'll mention it to her this weekend just in case. This is great news to start the weekend off! Thanks Lbomb.

By the way, the warnings about the Fairmount Park rapist that were on Fox29 and other media outlets - is that based on anything in particular or just a hunch that he will reappear now that the weather is nice?

what really gets me is when people don't care when they see people attacked/hurt

my friend got attacked in logan circle at 9pm on a saturday and no one helped him...

no one cares :'(

I'm sure she's aware of it. Her nephew works with me.
the renewed warnings about the rapist was because one of the victims was working with police on a better sketch. It's also, I'm sure, because it is getting warmer and he is still out there. It's to keep him on everyone's mind.
I'm dumb-founded when I'm down the Riverwalk and see women walking/jogging alone with IPods on. It totally tunes you out and is a stalkers dream. Please be careful with the volume.

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