Divine Intervention? Priest Rescues Woman From Attacker

A woman was saved from an attempted sexual assault in a Los Angeles neighborhood thanks to what some are calling divine intervention.

The woman was pushing her baby in a stroller down McConnell Avenue in Westchester about 1 p.m. Monday when a man attacked her. Suddenly, a priest appeared and confronted the man. The man claimed to be the woman's husband, but the priest wasn't buying it.

A 911 call was placed and police arrested a man on suspicion of attempted rape and kidnap, according to the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division.

"It's a miracle," said Jeff Rothman, who lives in the neighborhood.

A neighborhood watch group told NBC4's sister station, Telemundo 52, that the Jesuit priest was visiting a friend in the neighborhood. They said he was walking and praying, before he discovered the woman in need of help.

A friend of the priest says he does not want to speak with reporters about the incident out of respect for the victim.

"He is a hero, in my opinion," said neighbor Andrea Urrutia. "Anyone that helps someone, God bless him."

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