Cops: Frankford sex-assault victim, 18, used sword to fight off attacker

An 18-year-old woman used a sword from her family's collection to fight off a man who entered their Frankford home Monday and sexually assaulted her, police said.

Capt. Mark Burgmann of the Special Victims Unit said the man, posing as a Verizon cable repairman, he tried to enter the home on the 4900 block of Mulberry Street just before noon. The woman, who was on the second floor, yelled down that he had to come back when her mother was home, but he opened the unlocked front door and entered anyway, Burgmann said.

The man then went to the second floor and sexually assaulted the woman, the captain said.

She managed to escape to a room containing a family collection of swords, Burgmann said. While holding a sword, the woman said her mother would be coming home soon, and the man left, police said..

Burgmann said police were searching for the attacker, described as a black man in his mid-20s, about 6 feet tall, and with a tattoo on the left side of his face. The captain said the crime did not resemble any other sexual assaults under investigation, but cautioned residents to call police if solicitors act suspiciously. Tipsters should call 215-685-3852.