Shock: Oliver Silbris, the bus driver who swerved to avoid the ‘Putney Pusher’s’ woman victim told of her screams afterwards
The woman victim of the ‘Putney Pusher’ screamed ‘Why, Why, Why… Why me?’ after the attack.
Revealing her words in the aftermath to MailOnline for the first time, the bus driver Oliver Salbris, who narrowly avoided crushing her head, said: ‘She was in complete shock and crying.
‘She said things like ‘What happened’ and ‘Why? Why? Why?’ She asked me ‘ Why me?’
Mr Salbris took split second evasive action to avoid crushing the 33-year-old woman to death as he drove his 430 London bus over Putney Bridge.
He told MailOnline he didn’t realise how close she had come to falling under his 12-tonne bus and believed his victim did not know either.
‘It was only when I saw the video in August that it hit me. Luckily she is OK, but if she had died it would have destroyed my life as well. It was terrible.’
The incident on May 5 was captured on the security camera of a bus in front of the one being driven by Mr Salbris, but images were only revealed by police three months after the jogger attacked her.
There has since been speculation that the victim may have known her attacker or had been stalked by him.
Probe: Mr Salbris took split second evasive action to avoid crushing the 33-year-old woman to death as he drove his 430 London bus over Putney Bridge. Picture: CCTV images released by police of the ‘Putney Pusher’ who shoved a woman into a bus on May 5
Hunt: Mr Salbris told MailOnline that he didn’t realise how close she had come to falling under his 12-tonne bus and believed his victim did not know either. Pictured: CCTV of the mystery jogger approaching the woman on Putney Bridge
Attack: The incident on May 5 was captured on the security camera of a bus in front of the one being driven by Mr Salbris, but images were only revealed by police three months after the jogger attacked her.
Scene of attack: Police have issued a number of images in the hope of catching their man, but no posters appealing for help could be found around the area where the attack happened.
But Mr Salbris said he did not hear anything from her that would have led him to believe she knew who he was.
‘Some passengers came to help her as she was on the floor and I asked her if she was Okay, but she was in shock and just groaned and said ‘yeah’.
‘I told her that if she was Okay I was going to drive my bus again and I gave her my name and telephone number in case she wanted to press charges.’
Asked if he thought the victim may have been known to her attacker, he said: ‘I don’t agree with that or if it can be treated as attempted murder but maybe assault. I don’t know.
‘He (the jogger) could have had a bad day and his wife had been upset with him…so the first woman he comes across he pushed her.
‘She fell on the pavement – did he mean to push her into the road?
‘All I can say is that I saw him push her and it was deliberate.
‘I can’t say or calculate what he wanted to do. I don’t know if he meant (to kill) or not.
‘But I don’t think she even saw him coming. I heard she was probably on her mobile phone and reading something, and minding her own business.’
He said the bus immediately in front of him had forced him to half his speed allowed on the 30mph Putney Bridge and that he was travelling at between 15-17mph and carrying around 20 passengers.
His first shift had begun at 5am and he had been to Roehampton and Putney when the incident happened at 7.40am.
The attacker, police said, returned to the scene about 15 minutes after he had pushed the unnamed woman into the path of the bus.
The attacker, police said, returned to the scene about 15 minutes after he had pushed the unidentified woman into the path of the bus.
She tried to speak to him, but he did not acknowledge her and continued on his way. Witnesses had also left the scene.
Mr Salbris, who is married and father to two children, added: ‘The police haven’t told me anything, but I have given them a witness statement.
‘I just want to make sure they catch the guy. But the outcome is a positive one because she only had a few scratches.’
He said the woman had not been in contact and he believed this may be because she is undergoing counselling for the trauma she suffered.
He said she did not realise how close she had come to being crushed by the bus and he only came to know when the footage was released to elicit public help in August.
He added: ‘I couldn’t recognize him again or her to be honest.’
But he is to receive an award from Transport bosses next month, although he insisted his actions were not heroic.
‘We have been trained to do that and to calculate risks to passengers and others.
‘ If it was a dog I might not have done it because hitting a break so hard can be dangerous for passengers.’
He added: ‘I am not a hero. If I am then so is every other bus driver for their professionalism.
‘The real heroes are like the people in Las Vegas who helped people who were being shot around them. They are the heroes.’
Scotland Yard said the investigation was continuing with the intention of making an arrest as soon as possible.
Bus driver: Mr Salbris, who is married and father to two children, added: ‘The police haven’t told me anything, but I have given them a witness statement. ‘I just want to make sure they catch the guy. But the outcome is a positive one because she only had a few scratches.’
A CCTV photograph taken from the bus has been released as well as footage from the first bus. The wanted man appears wearing quite distinctive blue shorts, with a green trim.
Investigation: After a police appeal a 41-year-old American businessman was arrested over the Putney Bridge (pictured) attack at his £2million flat – but proved was in the US at the time.
Asked whether police had any information whether the victim may have been known to her attacker, a spokesman said: ‘Not that we have been made aware of.’
Police have issued a number of images in the hope of catching their man, but no posters appealing for help could be found around the area where the attack happened.
Officers have not divulged why it took three months to release the footage, but this may have been because an operation to snare the returning jogger was in process.
A CCTV photograph taken from the bus that had to swerve to avoid the victim has been released as well as footage from the first bus.
The wanted man appears to be running outside a food and wine store on the north London end of Putney Bridge, crossing towards south London – and is wearing quite distinctive blue shorts, with a green trim.
After a police appeal a 41-year-old American businessman was arrested at his £2million flat – but proved he had been in the US at the time of the attack.
Another man was also arrested before promptly being cleared of any involvement.
The hunted jogger is described as white in his early to mid-30s, with brown eyes and short brown hair. He was wearing a light grey T-shirt and dark blue shorts.
Police are analysing CCTV from the area, and are also interested in data
Anyone with information should call detectives from Wandsworth CID on 020 3276 2606 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Mr Salbris added: I hope somebody can tell the police who did this. Somebody should know him.’