Cleveland, OH

‘This is how people die’: Woman attacked while running in Rocky River Reservation

Published

6 months ago

September 9, 2025

‘This is how people die’: Woman attacked while running in Rocky River Reservation

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Metroparks police are investigating a violent attack in the Rocky River Reservation that left a woman hospitalized.

The Rocky River Reservation is a popular spot for running, walking or simply enjoying a picnic. One of those regulars was Vani Shukla.

She was supposed to finish her run near the South Mastick Picnic Area, but it was cut short. Now, she’s not sure if she’ll run that route alone again, reminding others to be cautious.

A warning: this story contains potentially disturbing content.

For the past year and a half, running has been Shukla’s passion as she trains for her first marathon, scheduled for October. She runs with many groups and often makes her laps at the Rocky River Reservation.

“Like 90% of my runs are in the reservation, like almost every day. I really love it there, it’s like one of my favorite places in Cleveland,” said Shukla.

But she never imagined one of those runs would turn into a nightmare.

“That was, I will say it is probably the scariest moment of my whole life,” said Shukla.

It happened Saturday, just before sunset. Shukla was pushing for her longest distance yet: 20 miles. She told News 5 she had taken all the safety precautions she normally would.

“I had my location shared. I told people where I was,” Shukla said. “I had a friend on his way to pick me up at the end of my run.”

But around mile 17.5, she says her run was violently interrupted.

“He came up from behind me, grabbed my shoulders, put his hands around my neck, and I couldn’t even scream,” Shukla said. “I tried to reach for, like my fanny pack that had my phone in it so I could emergency try to dial 911, but, like, It all happened so quick.”

Shukla said she fought as hard as she could—until she blacked out.

“As soon as I realized, like, oh, I’m not getting out of this. I’m like, this is how people die. That was, like, the thought that I had in the moment, I was like, oh, this is it,” said Shukla.

Moments later, she said she woke up face down on the trail.

“I could tell like I was bleeding. Everywhere I looked around, nobody was there. I like, saw that I still had my phone. Everything’s covered in blood,” said Shukla.

She said she immediately got up and ran toward the main road.

“I started sprinting up the road because my friend was supposed to meet me in a mile at South Mastick Park,” Shukla said.

Shukla shared a photo with News 5 showing her face after the attack, covered in blood. She was taken to the hospital and treated for a broken nose, cuts and bruises.

While she’s grateful to be alive, she never expected something like this to happen in a place she’s run every week. She said she even saw other families on the trail just minutes before the attack.

“I felt safe running all the time. You don’t really think that it’s real until it happens to you, or I guess, someone like close to you,” Shukla said.

The Metroparks say the attack is under investigation. Patrols have been increased. They issued a statement reading:

“Our thoughts go out to the victim, and we are committed to bringing the person or persons responsible to justice,” The statement read.

Shukla says healing — both physical and emotional — will take time. But she refused to let this stop her.

“I see the same place that I’ve always loved and I will run there again. I will not alone, not for a while,” said Shukla.

Shukla’s message: Keep running, but stay alert.

This case remains under investigation. Metroparks police have not yet released any suspect details.

We Follow Through

Want us to continue to follow through on a story? Let us know.

Source link

Related Topics:Featured News5Cleveland Northeast Ohio News

Click to comment

Cleveland, OH

Bodies of 2 young girls found in suitcases in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bodies of 2 young girls found in suitcases in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd on Tuesday confirmed the bodies of two young girls were found in suitcases on the city’s East Side Monday evening.

Cleveland police were called just after 6 p.m. to a field in the area of East 163rd and Midland Avenue for a suspected dead body.

According to police sources, a man was walking his dog in the area, for the first time in awhile due to the snow, and the dog hit on the scent.

The man immediately called 911.

“The officers responded out and located a deceased individual that was in a shallow grave inside of a suitcase,” said Chief Todd.

When officers and homicide detectives got to the scene, Todd said they found the second body nearby.

According to the chief, both suitcases were partially buried in shallow graves. She said the victims had been there quite some time.

“It is traumatic for everyone. It is traumatic for those who live in the area to know that this was right there at their door step,” said Todd.

Authorities said one victim is believed to be 8-and-a-half to 13 years old and the other is believed to be 10-and-a-half to 14 years old.

There is no indication at this time on their identities, according to police.

“locally we have no reports of missing children to match these identifications. We are checking statewide as well. We have assistance from our state federal and local partners,” said Todd.

Detectives are checking with state and federal partners as well.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has taken custody of the bodies and will conduct further examination to determine the cause of death.

This crime scene is located near Ginn Academy in the city’s South Collinwood neighborhood.

Police said the investigation remains in its very early stages and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.

Tips can remain anonymous.

Source link

Cleveland, OH

More than 30K FirstEnergy customers without power in Cuyahoga County

Published

18 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

More than 30K FirstEnergy customers without power in Cuyahoga County

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Thousands of FirstEnergy customers are without power in Cuyahoga County this Tuesday.

The total number reached 31,785 reported outages in Cuyahoga County at noon.

That number decreased to 16,486 as of 1:10 p.m.

There were just 2,751 still without power less than an hour later at 2 p.m.

FirstEnergy estimates power to be restored to most impacted customers between 2-4 p.m. Tuesday.

FirstEnergy spokesperson Brooke Conlan said this is due to small fires on poles.

According to Conlan, the misty rain combined with salt on the road can cause contamination on utility poles, which causes electricity to travel across the the pole and cause the fire.

Conlan added their crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power.

Due to the outages, the Parma Justice Center is closed, and all court proceedings are suspended for the remainder of Tuesday.

Source link

Cleveland, OH

David Henry Obituary – Vermilion, OH

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

David Henry

OBITUARY

David G. Henry, 70, of Vermilion, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2026, at his home following a lengthy illness.He was born December 14, 1955, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and had made Vermilion his home for the past 42 years, moving from Irwin, Pennsylvania.Dave began his career with Westinghouse in Pennsylvania before relocating to Ohio in 1983. He was employed at Elyria Foundry for 20 years and later worked as a machinist for 14 years at Betcher Industries, where he retired. He was known throughout his career for his strong work ethic and skilled craftsmanship.In his free time, Dave enjoyed woodworking, taking pride in the projects he created with his hands. Above all, he cherished the time he spent with his family, especially his children and grandchildren.He is survived by his daughter, Alicia Parsons of Vermilion; his sons, David (Fiona) Henry of Bloomington, Indiana and Jonathan (Joanna) Henry of Vermilion and Anthony (Ashley) Cico of Amherst; and 13 beloved grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his wife, Darlene (nee Eckenrode) Henry in 2017; his parents, Charles and Gloria (nee Krider) Henry; his brother, Howard Henry; and his son-in-law, Cliff Parsons.The family will receive friends on Friday, March 20, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 5:00 p.m. at the Riddle Funeral Home, 5345 South Street, Vermilion, Ohio.Memorial contributions may be made to Friendship Animal Protective League of Lorain County, Inc. 8303 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, OH 44035 or Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 95000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com

Source link