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Former Marine Rescues Woman From Would-Be Rapist In Queens

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on for a would-be rapist who allegedly grabbed a woman off the street and dragged her into the woods.  But a hero came to her rescue and it turns out he is more than qualified.

Former Marine Brian Teichman, 31, saved a woman from a violent attack in the woods off the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone, Queens.  The attack happened right outside his babysitter's house.

"I feel like I did what anyone else would've done in that position," Teichman told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis. "I didn't think much, I just did it."

The babysitter, Dawn Ottaviano, told 1010 WINS' Eileen Lehpamer that she saw the suspect "actually dragging this woman into the trees."

1010 WINS' Eileen Lehpamer With More On The Story

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"He saw the man on top of the woman, and he frightened him," Ottaviano said of Teichman.

Ottaviano was on her porch, taking in Teichman's 2-year-old daughter, when she heard what she thought was horseplay between a couple in the woods.

"And then all of a sudden, I realize this wasn't a voluntary thing -- that this man was forcing her and pushing her over the railing," she said.

The unidentified woman was attacked from behind, dragged across the street over the guard rail and into the brush.
Ottaviano started screaming and Teichman went to the rescue, yelling words he can't repeat.

"Probably not something that should be on the news," Teichman said.

"He was just going ballistic, he was just going ballistic -- scared the hell outta the guy. He literally did," Ottaviano said.

The attacker took off on foot in and out of the woods until he disappeared completely. Still, if it were not for Teichman, the story would have a very different ending.

"He said 'I should have just jumped on the guy,'" Ottavianno said.

The woman's clothes were ripped, she was shaken up, but escaped a near sexual assault.

'I'm very happy she's okay, I'm glad everything worked out," Teichman said.

The attacker is described as a middle-aged Caucasian male, dressed as a construction worker with clean cut salt-and -pepper hair and a goatee.

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