Investigators released surveillance images of a man who allegedly raped a 22-year-old woman Tuesday afternoon inside her Center City office building.
The attack occurred at around 2:30 p.m. on the eighth floor of a building on the 200 block of N. 13th Street, according to authorities.
Detectives say the suspect, believed to be a man in his late 30s, entered the building and encountered a female employee of a law firm who was working alone after a coworker stepped out for lunch.
He asked for somebody the victim did not know and began rummaging around the office, at which point she offered him her AirPods and earrings, in an attempt to get him to go away, Special Victims Unit Capt. James Kearney told reporters Wednesday.
Kearney said the man became frustrated and began choking and punching the woman before sexually assaulting her.
The other employee returned and interrupted the rape, he added. Video from the scene shows the attacker leaving the building, police said, and hanging around 12th and 13th streets near Spring Street, which is just north of Race Street.
Both the victim and the other employee said they had never seen the man before Tuesday, Kearney said.
Anyone who has information about the suspect is asked to contact SVU at 215-685-3251/3252; call or text 215-686-8477; or go to www.phillypolice.com/forms/submit-a-tip.
