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Philadelphia police are searching for a man accused of committing two sexual assaults on SEPTA’s Broad Street Line this week.
The assaults happened Monday between 10:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. at two locations on the line, the Philadelphia Police Department said. The first attack happened on a train and the second at a station.
The first attack involved a 22-year-old woman who was waiting for the train at City Hall Station. The suspect followed her onto the train and, after she sat down, stood over her and – without saying a word – grabbed her breast, PPD special victims unit Lt. John Hewitt said. The man got off the train as it pulled into the Tasker-Morris Station.
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The man waited around at the station and later approached a 40-year-old woman standing on the platform, Hewitt said. He asked her for a cigarette, so she gave him the one she was smoking, after which he asked for a kiss, Hewitt said. The woman declined, but he grabbed her around the waist and began kissing and groping her, according to the lieutenant.
As a train pulled into the station, the man ran off and fled northbound on Broad Street.
Police released surveillance video of the suspect walking around a subway platform. He wore a white hoodie with the band Queen on the back, black shorts with the Underarmour logo on the right thigh and black sneakers.
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The PPD said he may be Black or Hispanic, in his early 20s, has a thin build and stands around 5 feet, 7 inches tall.
“It’s very serious and it’s concerning because our concern is always that there’s escalation. This is just an indecent assault incident at this time, but it could easily turn into a violent sexual attack and we want to get this guy off the street as quickly as possible,” Hewitt said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the PPD’s special victims unit at 215-685-3251/3252. People can submit anonymous tips by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477), texting 773847 or emailing tips@phillypolice.com.
Earlier this week, police also announced a search for a man who attacked two teenage girls at SEPTA train stations.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
