PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police say a man accused of brutally beating a woman in Montgomery County is a suspect in a Roxborough sexual assault Thursday night and possibly two other attacks in South Philadelphia this week, including an attack on three women at one time that was captured on video.
A woman walking to work Thursday along Ridge Avenue near the Leverington Cemetery in Roxborough noticed the man following her.
“When he got to the vestibule, he assaulted and sexually assaulted her there,” said Chief Inspector Frank Vanore. He added that the suspect stole the woman’s cell phone. Detectives tracked it to Whitpain Township in Montgomery County, where another woman was attacked near her car on Jolly Road.
“They said there was an individual arrested [in one of the townships there] for assault on a female,” said Vanore.
Investigators connected the two cases, and the suspect will face charges for the Roxborough attack.
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They also think he may be behind two other attacks.
One of them, shown above on video, happened along Morris Street and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philly at about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday night, when three women were beaten.
“As he is walking by, he just begins to randomly assault the three females. He starts with one, and that one kind of goes down. He hits the other and when the other comes to their aid, she is also assaulted,” said Vanore.
“He made some utterances. None of them really made sense.”
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A fourth incident happened 20 minutes later at the corner of South 13th and Mifflin streets.
“[He] walks right up to her as she is sitting on the front step and assaults her,” Vanore said. “This female is knocked unconscious, and that female also had several injuries about her face after being punched.”
Police said the description is the same, and they are now working to connect the attacks and see if there were any more. Officials urge any possible victims to call them.
Video courtesy NBC10.
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