A 22-year-old man was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with sexually assaulting a woman over the weekend in a bathroom stall at the Macy’s in Center City.
Investigators said a tipster called police Tuesday night to identify 22-year-old Jaleel Uqdah, of West Philadelphia, and the 55-year-old victim confirmed he was her attacker.
Uqdah allegedly entered the store, housed in the former Wanamaker’s building at 13th and Market streets, shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday and went directly to the third floor bathroom area, where he waited for about 20 minutes, police said.
The woman, who was shopping with her husband, told investigators the suspect jumped into her stall, dragged her into another stall and raped her. He was wielding wooden barbecue-style skewers and threatened to stab her to death.
Police said he also took between $60 to $80 in cash from the woman, who immediately told her husband and Macy’s personnel about the incident.
Detectives found one of the skewers, as well as the clothes worn by the suspect at the time of the attack, when they searched Uqdah’s house on the 1200 of N. 53rd Street.
He has been charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated assault, robbery and redlated offenses, authorities said Wednesday.
“This is the kind of crime that tears apart society,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement. “Its terrible message to women is that they are not safe in society or in their daily lives.”
It was unclear whether Uqdah had secured legal counsel Wednesday.
Capt. Mark Burgmann, who oversees the Special Victims Unit, said police are examining sexual assault reports from around the city, and he encouraged anyone with similar accounts to come forward.
“We’re thinking about the possibility that there may be other victims,” he said. “We don’t have any other reports. Maybe there are other victims who never came forward.”
A spokesperson from the Philadelphia Police Department said Uqdah’s mugshot was not available at the time Metro went to print.
Burgmann credited SEPTA with undergoing the painstaking process of reviewing surveillance footage to track Uqdoh.
After leaving Macy’s, he allegedly boarded a Market Frankford line train to 52nd Street and took a bus to 52nd and Girard Avenue.
Investigators released two separate videos, including clearer footage showing the suspect at a convenience store in West Philadelphia.
Uqdah has a pending burglary case, brought in June, and an active theft case from August 2019. In both instances, the DA’s Office said, proceedings were delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Legal records show Uqdah was released on $5,000 unsecured bail, which he would have to pay if he misses court, following the burglary charges.
Krasner said his office intends to seek to have Uqdah held without bail in the rape case.
Gunfire leaves six injured
Four shootings left six people hospitalized Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
In Southwest Philadelphia, a 28-year-old man was shot twice in the left thigh at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday on the 6900 block of Saybrook Avenue, police said.
He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries.
Two men were wounded after gunfire rang out just before 3 a.m. on the 1800 block of W. Susquehanna Avenue in North Philadelphia.
A 21-year-old man was shot twice in the left shoulder, and Temple University campus police rushed him to the hospital, where he was in critical condition, according to authorities.
The other victim, a 26-year-old man, was hit twice in the left thigh and later listed in stable condition.
On Tuesday, at around 10 p.m., a 30-year-old man was shot once in the left thigh on the 4000 block of Dungan Street in Juniata, police said. He received treatment at Jefferson Frankford Hospital and is expected to survive.
A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were injured following a shooting at around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday on the 5300 block of Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia.
The man, who was shot once in the back, was listed in critical condition at Penn Presbyerian. Police said the teenager sustained a gunshot wound to her right leg and is expected to physically recover.
No arrests have been reported in connection with any of the shootings.
