MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. -- A teenage boy was struck by a Port Authority trolley during rush hour, in what police said may have been a suicide attempt after assaulting his teenage ex-girlfriend.

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Slideshow: Pictures From The Scene

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The incident happened at about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday in Mount Lebanon, about 100 yards from the Arlington station.

Local people often use a trail alongside that trolley track in a wooded area, but according to neighbor Isabelle Riedman, this was no accident of someone falling in front of a train.

Police said Sarah DeIuliis, 16, went to Riedman's house nearby just after the incident and told Riedman that Robert DeAngelis, 16, had tried to kill himself after attacking her in the woods.

"The girl had blood in her hair, and her cheeks were loose, and he hit her repeatedly with a hammer and said he was going to commit suicide and jumped in front of a train then," Riedman said DeIuliis told her.

Riedman said the girl told police she broke up with the boy three days ago, and she said he'd asked the girl to meet him on the trail Wednesday.

During their meeting, DeIuliis refused to get back together and DeAngelis tried to push her off a cliff near the trolley tracks, Allegheny County police said.

Police said DeIuliis was struck several times in the head and face with the hammer.

At this point, police said they believe DeAngelis wanted to kill DeIuliis, because had a bag with duct tape, a knife and a hammer inside.

"While walking, he suddenly, without warning, attacked her with a hammer," said Lt. Christopher Kearns of the Allegheny County Police. "Struck her in the head and the face."

According to Kearns, an off-duty homicide detective Lawrence Carpico, who was walking his dog, spotted DeIuliis walking off the trail.

"Apparently, his presence is what stopped the suspect from attacking the victim, which allowed her to get away," said Kearns.

Police said the boy has life-threatening injuries and is in critical condition.

The girl was released from the hospital on Friday.

Both are Mount Lebanon High School students. DeIuliis' father, Joe, is running for Third Ward Commissioner in Mount Lebanon.

"My daughter is home," said Joe Deliuliis. "She's, considering all the things she's been through, she's doing well. And we're just thrilled to have her home. She has doctors appointments with plastic surgeons, with dental. There's a series of things she has to have done. But all in all, her prognosis should be that she should make a full recovery."

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