Young Doctor Raped During Rittenhouse Square Home Invasion

A young doctor was raped after a man forced his way into her Rittenhouse Square apartment early Saturday morning, according to Philadelphia Police.

The 26-year-old woman, who is a doctor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, was walking home from Ladder 15, a bar at 1528 Sansom St., around 1:30 a.m. when the suspect began to follow her along Spruce Street, officials say.

Police reviewed surveillance video that shows the man biking past the woman and then locking the bike to a pole as she continued to walk down the street.

As she passed him, the man approached her from behind, grabbed her by the neck and forced her to open the door of her apartment building along the 1900 block of Spruce Street, about six blocks south of the bar, according to authorities.

Once inside her apartment, the woman was raped, police said. The suspect stole her phone and keys. The video also showed the man leaving her home, but moments later, he returned and sexually assaulted her a second time.

Once the man left, the woman called police for help.

The suspect is described by police as a man, between 25 and 30-years-old, standing 5-foot-7-inches tall and wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

Officials are investigating the incident as both a sexual assault and home invasion. Police have not yet made an arrest.

"In this neighborhood and in any neighborhood that you live in and reside in and go out in you do want to feel safe and you shouldn't have to worry about those things. But like I said, unfortunately today you do have to be aware of your surroundings at all times," said neighbor Jen Kalinoski.

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