Two women out of hospital after being struck with hammer on Crystal Lake trail

McHenry County Conservation District police are encouraging residents to be "aware of their surroundings" after a man hit two women with a hammer Tuesday evening on a Crystal Lake trail.

The attack occurred about 5:15 p.m. while the man was riding a bicycle east on the Ridgefield Trace trail, officials said in a news release. He apparently hit the women near the intersection of Oak Street and Ridgefield Trace Road and fled the scene.

The women were taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening and were released Tuesday evening.

"This was an isolated incident, and something like this has never occurred before on the conservation district's trail system or within its conservation area," authorities said Wednesday in a written statement. "Police continue to patrol the area and follow up on leads."

The man appeared to be in his mid-50s and is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall with a stocky build, police said. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a Green Bay Packer hat, a forest green sweatshirt and dirty jeans.

Additional information was not available Wednesday. An investigation is ongoing.

Crystal Lake police are assisting with the investigation and has deployed additional officers to patrol bike paths in the city.

Anyone who was in the area at the time, witnessed suspicious behavior along the trail or has information about the suspect is asked to call conservation district police at (815) 338-6223, ext. 1210. After hours and on weekends, a conservation officer can be reached at the McHenry County sheriff's office, (815) 338-2144.