Woman injured in I-95 rest stop robbery attempt

The woman's family had stopped at the rest area at about 11 p.m. on June 25, and she was approached from behind in the bathroom by a woman with a knife.

The assailant demanded the woman's purse and cut her on the left hand during a struggle for the purse, authorities said.

As the thief ran out of the bathroom, she was confronted by the woman's husband and daughter, who were able to get the purse back during another struggle. The thief then ran out of the rest stop.

She was described as white, in her mid-20 or mid-30s, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, with blonde, shoulder-length hair pulled into a ponytail. She was wearing black jeans and a dark-colored short sleeve shirt.

Lt. Sean Swain said this type of crime doesn't happen often at the county's rest stops.

"We've had a rash of vending machines break-ins. We've had some solicitors out there," he said. "We've had a few robberies at the rest areas. It's not that it happens all the time. This is an isolated incident. We're hoping we're going to get this person in custody and stop this from happening again."

Anyone with information about the incident should call the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office at 910-323-1500.