Jogger indecently assaulted in Hawera

File photo / NZ Herald

A woman indecently assaulted while jogging in the Taranaki town of Hawera this morning managed to fight off her attacker, police say.

The 38-year-old was jogging between 6am and 6.45am when a man brushed past her and ran off down Glover Rd towards Waihi Rd, Detective Guy Jackson said.

She kept running but the man slowed down and, when they were level started to run alongside her.

"He didn't speak to her but she felt uncomfortable and began to make turns to shake him off," Mr Jackson said.

He kept following her before grabbing her from behind and indecently assaulting her.

"She fought him off, at which point he ran off, retracing his steps towards Waihi Rd while she ran home and contacted the police. She was not injured but was very shaken," he said.

Police wanted to hear from anyone who saw the woman while she was jogging, especially someone walking a dog on South Rd, a woman jogging in Glover Rd and a man walking in Glover Rd.

They also wanted to hear from anyone with information on the man, described as European, in his late teens early 20s, about 175cm, wearing a blue/black horizontally striped hooded sweatshirt with a zip down the front, baggy knee-length shorts and white sandshoes.