An elderly woman was hospitalized Thursday night after a masked man attacked her and attempted to enter her home.

Authorities say the intruder, who was wearing a ski mask, punched Merideth Seidler in the face around 10 p.m. Thursday night as she opened the back door of her Gerritson Avenue home. Investigators say she was trying to let her cats outside at the time.

Police say the masked man was scared off by the victim?s husband, Howard. According to investigators, the intruder ran down the street and left the scene without taking anything.

Howard Seidler runs a law office from home specializing in crime and immigration cases, neighbors say. Some neighbors wonder if the attempted invasion has anything to do with the law firm or its clients.

Merideth Seidler was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center after the incident. Officials from the medical center say that she is in stable condition and will probably have to stay overnight for observation.

Neighbors say they saw federal investigators at the Seidler residence recently. Surveillance cameras were installed, and neighbors hope the cameras caught some of the incident on tape.

The area is not known for robberies and break-ins, neighbors say. They hope police catch the suspect or suspects because many elderly people and children live in the area, and they don?t want them to be at risk.

Police say no arrests have been made.