New Hampshire

Man Caught on Surveillance Assaulting Woman Outside New Hampshire Gym

New Hampshire police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who was caught on surveillance video assaulting a woman outside a gym last week in Rochester.

Police responded to the Planet Fitness on North Main Street on June 12 at about 10 p.m. after an 18-year-old victim said she was assaulted from behind while walking to her car.

In the surveillance video, the woman was punched 39 times, thrown to the ground and kneed in the head before the suspect got into his car and drove off.

The victim, identified as Erin McCarthy, an employee of the gym, was taken to an area hospital by a friend. She did not sustain major injuries.

McCarthy told NBC Boston that she had just left the facility after her shift when the gruesome attack occurred.

"I just thought he was just coming in to work out. That's why when he walked right by me I didn't think to turn around or anything," McCarthy recalled. "I didn't think anything weird of it."

At first McCarthy thought someone she knew was playing a joke on her.

"I thought someone was just messing with me and I turned around laughing because I thought they just pushed me in the back of the head. But then I realized it wasn't joking and he continued to keep beating me," McCarthy said.

McCarthy said she caught a glimpse of her attacker but has no idea who he is.

"That was really disturbing. He didn't say a single word at all. He was silent through the whole thing," she recalled.

Planet Fitness released a statement on the incident:

"The safety and well-being of our members and employees is our top priority, and we are currently working with the local authorities in their investigation on this incident. We are committed to assisting however we can in their search and hope the suspect is apprehended quickly."

The suspect was wearing a white T-shirt, shorts, white sneakers, a baseball hat, and sunglasses at the time of the incident. Authorities believe he fled the scene in a light colored Ford Fusion or something similar.

Anyone with information on the attack or the man's identity is asked to contact the Rochester Police Department at 603-330-7128.

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