PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) – Philadelphia police are searching for a suspect who has been wearing a Halloween mask and terrorizing women.
No weapon is readily visible in publicly available images from the encounters, but police allege the suspect implied he had one at one point.
Philadelphia police are searching for a masked suspect who has been terrorizing women.
One would-be victim, who goes by Jameka W., said she fought back and refused to become a victim.
When the masked stranger approached her in Center City last Wednesday morning, she squared up and kicked him in the chest.
It happened around 5:15 a.m. near 15th Street and Broad Street.
Jameka believes the person who targeted her is the same suspect police said was caught on camera chasing a woman outside City Hall minutes earlier.
Before her own encounter, Jameka said she spotted the masked suspect approaching a runner who was wearing earphones.
“I started to wave at her from across the intersection and say, ‘Hey, there’s someone behind you,’” Jameka said.
She then witnessed him try to force his way into a coffee shop before turning his attention toward her.
“I figured that, if anything was going to happen, I wanted to see it with my own two eyes,” Jameka said.
She turned around, screamed and yelled, and put her hands up to fight, but something seemed off about the scary stranger.
“He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were. I had bags. He wasn’t reaching for those. It didn’t seem like he had a clear goal to actually get in La Colombe to do anything,” Jameka said. “So. I was like, ‘OK, well let’s see if you can fight.’ And he couldn’t.”
Police said the suspect accosted several people in a 15-minute span.
“He was holding his cellphone up in front of her, at which time he asks her, ‘Are you ready to die?’” Philadelphia police Capt. Jason Smith said.
The suspect ultimately fled into Suburban Station.
Until he’s caught, Jameka has a message for people in Center City who rise early, especially women.
“Keep your keys in between your fingers. Just do everything you can to make sure you feel safe,” Jameka said.
Police said the suspect could face several charges.
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