Law enforcement is asking for the public’s help in identifying a man they believe sexually assaulted at least five women over the past few weeks, primarily in Center City.
Police released surveillance images of the suspect Monday night and are warning women to be on the lookout. No arrests had been made when Metro went to print Tuesday.
“A very brazen individual,” PPD Captain Margo Alleyne-Parker, commander of the department’s Special Victims Unit, said when asked to describe the offender. “Somebody that we definitely would like to get off the streets before it escalates.”
In most cases, the man approached his victims from behind and groped them, though “things may have went a little further” in some instances, Alleyne-Parker told reporters during a briefing Monday.
Most of the women targeted have been in their 30s, and the suspect has not produced a weapon, she added.
The most recent attack happened at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday on the 2500 block of Webster Street, near the Naval Square area of Graduate Hospital, investigators said. The woman reported she was assaulted while unlocking her garage door, according to police.
Nearly 12 hours earlier, at around 1 a.m., the suspect targeted a woman who had just left a bar and was walking to her car on the 400 block of S. 15th Street in Center City, officials said. On Saturday, he allegedly went after a woman at around 8:15 a.m. on the 1600 block of Waverly Street, also in Center City.
Last month, two assaults occurred in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Investigators said a man walked up to a woman who was walking her dog, said “good morning beautiful,” and groped her July 18 on the 1900 block of Spruce Street.
A day later, he approached a woman as she was trying to enter her apartment building on the 2000 block of Delancey Street, according to police. The victim shoved him and fell to the ground, sustaining cuts to her elbow and knee, Alleyne-Parker said.
Detectives believe the perpetrator is the same person because of the similarity of the incidents, description of the offender and geographical proximity, officials added.
Alleyne-Parker said there may be unreported assaults connected to the same suspect. She recommended women scream for help if targeted; in most cases, neighbors came to the aid of victims.
Patrols have been increased in the area, and officers assigned to the local police districts have been made aware of the situation, Alleyne-Parker added.
The PPD described the suspect as a 25- to 30-year-old Black man who is about 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall with a thin build; long braids that are sometimes worn in a ponytail; and possibly a light mustache and goatee.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the SVU at 215-685-3251; call or text the tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477); email tips@phillypolice.com; or go to phillypolice.com/forms/submit-a-tip.
