Police are searching for a man who they say stalked a woman near a SEPTA station in Philadelphia.
Maddy Dyson, 25, told NBC10 she had just exited SEPTA's Berks Station around 7:50 a.m. back on Jan. 22 when she noticed a man following her.
"He has like really nice clothes on, a really fancy backpack," she said. "He looked like a totally normal dude. I didn't think anything of it."
Dyson, who was listening to music, walked a few blocks and arrived along the 1600 block of North Phillip Street. She then noticed the man sticking his hand down his pants as he continued to follow her.
"When he came around and approached me really aggressively, he had his pants, sweatpants pulled down and he was masturbating," Dyson said.
Dyson screamed at the man who fled away on foot, police said. He was last seen running west on the 200 block of West Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
"I'm not going to feel bad about listening to music and trying to relax after a really busy shift," Dyson said. "I'm not going to feel bad about being tired after taking care of people for 13 hours. That's not illegal."
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Dyson wasn't hurt during the incident but told NBC10 she feels nervous, especially after viewing surveillance video of the man stalking her.
"I would love to sit here and say I'm not scared. But of course I'm scared," she said. "I'm scared he's going to do something worse to me or someone else."
Dyson has changed her routine since the incident, going to a different station while walking to and from the train with her boyfriend.
The suspect is described as a 20-year-old man standing 5-foot-10. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black ADIDAS pants with three white stripes along the legs, a tan leather backpack with two straps and buckles on the back and black and silver Nike Air Max 97 sneakers.
If you have any information on the man’s identity, please call the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3252. You can also submit a tip to 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text PPD TIP or 773847.
