Man arrested over Putney Bridge jogger attack named as 'millionaire' banker Eric Bellquist

The jogger arrested on suspicion of pushing a woman in front of a moving London bus has been identified as a millionaire banker – who claims he was in the US at the time.

Eric Bellquist, who works for private-equity firm Hutton Collins, was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm at an address in Chelsea following the incident on Putney Bridge on the morning of 5 May.

His lawyers confirmed in a statement he was the one who was arrested following an appeal from the police but he has been "wrongly implicated".

The 50-year-old US national was arrested at his house Chelsea, west London on 10 August and later released under investigation pending further enquiries.

According to Hutton Collins Partners' website, Bellquist represents the firm on the boards of Byron Hamburgers and Wagamama and was responsible for their investment in Caffè Nero. He previously worked in the European Leveraged Finance and Sponsor Coverage group at Lehman Brothers and is a graduate from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

A spokesperson for Duncan Lewis solicitors said: "Eric Bellquist, who was arrested yesterday in relation to an assault that took place on Putney Bridge, has been wrongly implicated.

"He categorically denies being the individual concerned & has irrefutable proof that he was in the US at the time of the incident. Consequently, we expect a swift resolution to this wholly untrue allegation."

CCTV footage was released showing the moment the 33-year-old victim was knocked into the road by a male jogger and narrowly avoids being hit by a bus. About 15 minutes, later the jogger who police wanted to speak to came back the other way across the bridge. The victim tried to speak to him but he did not acknowledge her and carried on jogging.

Elsewhere, the bus driver who managed to swerve out the way and avoid hitting the woman she fell in front of the double-decker has described how he was "just doing his job".

Bus operators Go Ahead London told 5 News: "The driver commented that he is pleased to have been a hero, he was just doing his job.

"He is pleased to have been able to react the way he did and that there was no serious injury to the lady."

A Met Police spokesperson said: "Police investigating an assault after a jogger appeared to push a woman into the path of an oncoming bus in Putney have made an arrest.

"A 50-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm following police enquiries at an address in the Chelsea area on the morning of Thursday, 10 August.

"He was taken to a south London police station for questioning. He has been released under investigation pending further enquiries."