A Moncton woman was grabbed by a stranger Monday morning shortly after 8 a.m. on the Mapleton Park trail.

Megan DeWolfe, 21, was walking through the trail off Frampton Lane on her way to grab a coffee. Suddenly, as she rounded the first corner along the path, DeWolfe saw a hand appear from the woods.

"Then the whole man stepped out of the woods and grabbed my arm, and I tried to break free for a couple of seconds," she said.

After fighting him off, she ran straight home and called police.

DeWolfe said the man left a small bruise when he wrapped a hand completely around the top of her arm.

"He was just standing there staring at me," she said. "He didn't say anything, nothing. He was just standing there staring at me, trying to pull me into the woods. I was just focused on getting away and calling the cops."

Mapleton Park entrance sign for the footpath off Frampton Lane, where DeWolfe was assaulted by a man on Monday . (CBC News)

The trail is part of Mapleton Park, about 300 acres (about 121 hectares) of city-operated space popular among locals and tourists.

DeWolfe said she sees people walking the trail every morning.

Could have been different

The stay-at-home mother of a five-month-old said she was relieved she didn't have her baby with her at the time.

"I don't know how I would have got away as fast with the stroller. I would have left the stroller, I would have just grabbed her and went."

DeWolfe said she had difficulty sleeping Monday night, suffering from a nightmare about what happened.

"It's still in my head," she said. "The first thing that I see sometimes is the hand coming out of the woods, because it wasn't his whole body at first, it was just his hand."

She said she's fortunate to be in her 20s and worries about others who might not be able to defend themselves.

"What if that could have been someone that was 12 years old, compared to me being 21?

"I could get away," DeWolfe said. "A little girl is not going to get away. He could have done something a lot worse, and a lot worse could have happened to me as well if i didn't get away, and I'm glad that I got away."

Won't walk the trail again

Despite the incident involving Megan DeWolfe, police say the Mapleton trail footpath off Frampton Lane and other trails in the city are safe. (Ian Bonnell/Radio-Canada)

DeWolfe used to walk the trail every morning, but now she's afraid to leave her house. The trail is in her backyard.

"I'll never walk in the Mapleton trail again," she said.

She's warning other people to be aware of their surroundings, have someone accompanying them and make sure to always have protection.

She hopes the RCMP will find the man.

"You don't realize that it's going to happen until it happens," she said. "I don't know how I'm going to move on fully from it, but it will take a little bit."

Police say public is safe

Sgt. Louis Robichaud of Codiac RCMP said the matter is being investigated, but it appears to be a random incident.

The intent is still unknown, but he said the public shouldn't be concerned over safety in the city's walking trails.

The man was described as being five feet eight inches tall and in his mid- to early 50s, with blondish grey hair and a bit of scruff for a beard. He was wearing a grey hoodie with light jeans and white sneakers.

Mapleton Park is operated by the City of Moncton. Dan Hicks, supervisor for Parks and Leisure Services said the city is aware of the incident and has reached out to DeWolfe.