PHILADELPHIA -- A teenager riding SEPTA home from school said Wednesday she was attacked by a group of teenage girls over french fries, and wanted to thank the good Samaritan she said stopped the beating.

The 16-year-old girl, who was not identified, told NBC 10 News she knew others had been attacked on SEPTA, but said she had no idea she would be the next victim.

"It was just astonishing to me that many girls would come after just the three of us," she said. "I didn't think that was possible that me and my friends would be jumped on a subway station in a public place. I thought there would at least be help around somewhere."

The girl and her friends are students at Philadelphia Girls High School, and got on the Broad Street Subway on Tuesday after school. It was the next stop, which was at Broad and Logan, that 12 girls they didn't know got on, the girl said. One knocked french fries out of her friend's hand.

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Video: Victim Talks Exclusively To NBC 10

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"Then four girls attacked me," the girl said, "pulling my hair and just grabbing it, swinging my head around and pounding on my head."

With no SEPTA help in sight, NBC 10 News reported, the girl said the assault would have continued if it wasn't for an unarmed vigilante.

"A lady who was sitting on the train near us decided enough was enough," the girls said. "She reached into her purse a little bit and moved her hand around as if she had a weapon. She's screaming at the girls to back up, and the girls yielded."

The 12 girls sprinted out of the SEPTA train at Broad and Erie, police said. The only description the victims had was that the attackers all wore shirts from Hope Charter School.

The girl's mother said the only SEPTA officer her daughter found was on the platform.

"I truly hope that this will wake SEPTA up and have them put more officers on the trains," she said. "Not on the platforms, but on the trains themselves."