Patriots OL Justin Herron helps thwart attempted sexual assault in Arizona

New England Patriots offensive lineman Justin Herron is receiving praise for being one of two men to stop a potential sexual assault in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday morning. 

Per the club's official website, a 71-year-old woman was walking through a park on Saturday when a 30-year-old male allegedly attacked her and threatened to assault her. Herron and Phoenix resident Murry Rogers swiftly jumped into action and held the alleged assailant until police arrived.

"It was something that I never dreamed or I thought I would see, you know. You see it in movies and TV all the time, but you never think it's going to happen in real life until it does," Herron explained during a press conference. "In that moment, I was shocked. It was 11 a.m. It was in the middle of the day, not one cloud in the sky and in a very open field. It was just the fact that it had happened there at that time was just very, very shocking." 

Police representatives added that both Herron and Rogers reconnected with the victim later on Saturday. 

"I never thought in a thousand years that I would see her ever again, and a part of me was a little bit upset that didn't ask for a name just so I could just know the name," Herron said. "It was heartwarming to see her, but also gut-wrenching to see how she responded to the trauma and how she's dealing with it. No one should go through that. No one. She has a great support system, and I'm glad that she has that support system. It was emotional for me. It was emotional for everybody in the room to see her." 

Michael David Smith wrote for Pro Football Talk that a 30-year-old man named Kevin Caballero was arrested following the alleged incident. 

Herron joined the Patriots via the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.