Police: Man posed as Verizon worker, assaulted woman

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Police are looking for a man they say entered a home under false pretense and assaulted a young woman.

"This was a scary situation for my granddaughter," Christine Thompson, the victim's grandmother, told FOX 29.

Police say the teenager heard a knock at the door and she yelled from an upstairs window. The man, capture on surveillance video, said he was a Verizon worker there to fix the cable box. Then, she heard a noise and found the same man approaching her on the second floor, according to investigators.

"He got involved in a confrontation with her and sexually assaulted her inside the house," Captain Mark Burgmann told reporters at a noon press conference.

Captain Burgmann says the teenager bravely managed to fight the man off.

"The complainant was able to grab ahold of a sword that belonged to a family member there and threatened with the sword," he said.

"It was a very large sword and she pointed it at him and he ran right out the house," Thompson explained.

"Awesome, I'm proud of her. I am seriously proud of her," a neighbor told FOX 29.

Everyone here praised the young woman's courage for chasing the suspect off. Video captured him escaping.

"He had some type of tattoo on the left side of his face. She believes it was symbols," Captain Burgmann explained.

"It's sad and it's a shame that they did something like that to this young lady," block captain Germaine Handy said.

"Thank God nothing else bad happened," Thompson added.

Police say the suspect used the names Kareem and Talil while inside the house. SVU investigators say there have been no other incidents like this in the area. They also say the suspect lingered in the area, indicating he may be from the same neighborhood where the attack took place.

Police are advising neighbors to keep their doors locked and always ask for identification before opening the door, especially if you haven't called a repair main or utility worker to fix a problem.

If you recognize the suspect or have any information you are urged to contact police.