Man held in attack on woman in city motel

A man has been arrested in connection with the attack on a woman in a City Avenue motel room last week.

Joseph Vignola Jr., 19, faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, according to police reports.

An 18-year-old woman remained in critical condition after she was attacked on Wednesday night in a room at the North American Motor Inn, police said.

The woman was found shortly after 9:33 p.m. with her arms tied with a shirt and a knife wound to her throat, police said. She was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Police said Vignola was arrested on Saturday. A spokesperson declined to say last night whether Vignola was still in custody.

Two local television stations said Vignola was the son of Joseph C. Vignola, a former city councilman and controller and well-known city political figure, but police would neither confirm nor deny that. Efforts to reach the elder Vignola by phone last night were unsuccessful.