The second man, who had been walking with a woman and child, ran to help and pulled the attacker off the victim. Police are now very keen to speak to the man who came to the teenager’s aid. The teenager's father, Jason, said on Friday he had received a call from his distressed daughter on Thursday night pleading for help after the attack. "It was awful," he said. "I was at my son's basketball practice and she rang me. I just jumped in the car and took her straight to the police station." "She doesn't remember a lot of what happened. She knows she was grabbed. He spoke to her, she can't remember much of what was said. She thought it was a friend of hers at first, coming up to cuddle her, and as she turned around and saw the man she just panicked and was shocked, terrified.

"Then she realised something bad was about to happen. Then she fought him off as best she could until this family intervened." He said his normally confident, funny, bubbly daughter was now quiet, withdrawn and numb following the terrifying attack, and was "thinking of the what-ifs". The emotional father said he was now desperate to talk to the man who he says may have saved his daughter's life. "I would like to find out who those people are that helped her to thank them, and say thank you for what you've done because you've ultimately maybe saved my daughter's life and for something quite bad to happen to her," he said.

"I really want to thank them and say if you know anything, anyone that saw anything last night, please contact the police ... You worry about your children and you want the best for them and something like this happens. It's very hard to deal with." Detective Senior Constable Rick Barry said police would not release all the details of the sexual assault except to say it was a "very inappropriate". "This is an isolated incident": Detective Senior Constable Rick Barry. Credit:Joe Armao "She screamed, she was quite startled and scared and attracted the attention of a person who intervened," he said. "There's no telling what would have happened ... This man [who intervened to help] showed very strong character, I think it was brave for him to come in."

He said it was an isolated incident, however the man still had not been caught. The attacker is described as Caucasian, aged in his 20s with a thin build and about 183 centimetres tall with dirty brown or dark blond hair. The attack at the suburban park comes months after 21-year-old international student Aiia Maasarwe was killed on her way home from a comedy show. Codey Hermann, 20, has been charged with the rape and murder of the exchange student, a Palestinian citizen of Israel. Comedian Eurydice Dixon was also murdered while on her way home from the city last June. Jaymes Todd, 19, has pleaded guilty to murder, rape, attempted rape and sexual assault over her death. The Fawkner Sexual Offences and Child Abuse investigation Team are investigating and have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au