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.
