Philadelphia police seek public help to locate masked assault suspect
Police are asking residents to report sightings of a male suspect, described as a teenager wearing a white Halloween mask and a blue plaid backpack, after he chased and threatened a jogger near City Hall early Wednesday.
Philadelphia police issued a public appeal on Tuesday for information about a man wanted on assault charges after he chased a female jogger near City Hall at about 5:30 a.m. The suspect, described as a male aged 16 to 20 and about 5-foot-8, wore a white baby-doll style Halloween mask with black hair and carried a black-blue plaid backpack.
According to a police statement, the masked individual held a phone in front of the jogger and repeatedly asked, "Are you ready to die?" He also made other threatening comments, causing the woman to stumble and sustain a minor injury. Minutes earlier, the same individual had been observed harassing pedestrians near 15th and Chestnut streets and was denied service at a Dunkin’ location, police Captain Jason Smith told NBC Philadelphia.
The suspect was last seen heading into SEPTA’s Suburban Station. Police released video and images of the individual and warned the public not to approach him, urging anyone who sees the suspect to call 911 immediately. No arrests had been made as of early Tuesday afternoon.
The incident follows a recent unrelated case in St. Louis where a teenager dressed as a clown was charged with murder after a stabbing. Authorities emphasized that the two events are not linked.