A New York University sophomore and softball player from Iowa displayed remarkable bravery and strength when she successfully defended herself against an assailant during a jog in Chelsea last week. The 5-foot-9 athlete was on her regular running route around 20th Street near Eighth Avenue when the incident took place. The young woman, who relocated to New York City from Bettendorf, Iowa, a year ago, has been using this route almost daily.
The 19-year-old first baseman, Alexa Very, was crossing the street when she noticed a man reaching out towards her. The man grabbed her chest and refused to let go, triggering her instinctive response. “My fight or flight kicked in,” Very said, recounting the horrifying incident that occurred on September 19. She chose to fight.
Very, who was listening to Toby Keith’s “Should Have Been a Cowboy” on her AirPods at the time, punched the middle-aged, bald man twice in the jaw. The force of her punches knocked him to the ground, providing her an opportunity to escape. “All I could think at that moment was that I needed to do anything to stop it from going further. I needed to protect myself,” she said.
It was only a few minutes later, when the adrenaline had subsided, that Very realized her right hand was throbbing and her knuckles were bleeding. She called her father, expressing concern that her injury might prevent her from holding a bat. Her father reassured her, saying it was the best reason not to be able to hold a bat or throw a softball for a while.
An NYU trainer attended to Very’s injured hand and referred her to urgent care. A doctor diagnosed her with two bone bruises and a hairline fracture. Despite her physical injuries, Very is also grappling with emotional trauma. She admitted to feeling paranoid and has struggled with sleep since the incident.
Very has turned to TikTok to share her experience and her journey towards healing. Her posts have garnered over 3,000 likes and supportive comments. She hopes her story will raise awareness about such incidents and encourage others to protect themselves. “If I can help one person be more aware that this could happen to them – and that it’s okay to fight back and protect yourself – then it would have been worth it,” she said.
Very has filed a police report and spoken to detectives from the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit. As of Friday, no arrests had been made in the case. An NYPD spokesperson stated that the department takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously.