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Woman recalls face-to-face encounter with masked man in Center City
Jameka Wilson said she was standing at an intersection in Center City when she was chased by a masked man. Instead of running away, Wilson said she squared up to the masked man and kicked him in the chest before fleeing for safety.
PHILADELPHIA - As police in Philadelphia continue to search for a masked person who was terrorizing people near City Hall, one woman who came face-to-face with the masked suspect is sharing her story.
What we know:
Jameka Wilson said she was on her way to SoulCycle early Wednesday morning when she first saw a man wearing what police described as a ‘Chucky’ Halloween mask following a woman right outside City Hall.
Wilson said she began waving at the woman to get her attention, but she had headphones in and was "absorbed in her phone." The woman finally noticed Wilson's warning and began to run away.
That's when Wilson said the masked person turned his attention to a man carrying a large box and chased him into a business, briefly struggling over the front door. When Wilson began walking away, she said the masked person began to chase her.
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Police share video, images of masked man accused of threatening people in Center City
Police are looking for a man who they say wore a 'Chucky-doll' style mask and harassed people in Center City, Philadelphia. They say he asked one woman if she was 'ready to die' and chased her down the street.
"When he was approaching me he was laughing menacingly, it wasn't really super scary to me," Wilson said on Good Day Philadelphia. "My fight or flight had kind of struck at that point."
Wilson, a former art school student, said a stage combat course prepared her to be able to defend herself. She turned around and came face-to-face with the masked man and noticed that he didn't appear to have any weapons on him.
"He seemed disoriented that I had turned around in general and at that point I blocked my face, preparing to fight him, and he put his hands up too, but he didn't block his center line," Wilson said.
Wilson said she kicked the masked man in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and run away.
The backstory:
The Philadelphia Police Department first shared news of the masked man on Monday, almost a week after the eerie incident happened.
Captain Jason Smith said the unknown individual approached several people near the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets around 5 a.m., appearing to antagonize them.
"He was able to accost a good many of people, most of which haven't come forward yet," Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said.
Police said the man was seen entering a Dunkin Donuts in the 1500 block of Chestnut Street at 5:20 a.m. but was refused service because of his mask and exited after showing erratic behavior.
Over a 15- to 16-minute period, surveillance cameras captured the man running up to people at several locations, including 15th Street and South Penn Square, 15th and Market Street, and outside Dilworth Plaza.
'Are you ready to die?': Masked man sought for threats near City Hall
Philadelphia police are looking for a man in a 'Chucky-doll' type mask that was captured on video harassing and chasing people near City Hall last week. Police say he asked at least one woman if she was 'ready to die?'
The suspect filmed himself with his cell phone during these incidents, according to police.
Police said the suspect is described as a Black male, medium complexion, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build, and believed to be 16 to 20 years old.
He wore old art clothing and a distinctive ‘Chucky doll’ Halloween mask. At one point, he pulled down the mask, revealing a black face covering on the lower part of his face.
Police said there is no evidence that the suspect was armed but say when he approached one woman he has his cell phone in his left hand and he is holding his right hand behind his back when he asks her if she's "ready to die."
One victim, a jogger, was confronted twice by the suspect, according to police. After the second threat, she ran, "screaming for help this entire time" and injured her leg, police said.
Officers say the man chased a man in a reflective safety vest but did not appear to catch or contact him.
What's next:
Police say the suspect will face felony charges including terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and intimidation if apprehended.
The Source: Information provided by the Philadelphia Police Department.