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A South Jersey police department announced late Thursday the arrest of a man Philadelphia police said is suspected of raping a woman inside a Center City law firm earlier in the week.
Washington Township police said they found Willie Harris outside Jefferson Washington Township Hospital in Gloucester County Thursday, the police department announced on Facebook. The arrest came after the New Jersey police department put out a "Public Safety Bulletin" that Harris was spotted at some businesses off Egg Harbor Road on Wednesday.
Washington Township police found Harris sitting outside the hospital after getting tips from the public, they said.
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Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit Capt. James Kearney said the 22-year-old victim was working alone in the office on the 8th floor of the building on the 200 block of North 13th Street around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday when the suspect, identified by investigators as Harris, walked in. He asked her for another woman whom she did not know, Kearney said.
He then demanded she stay seated in a chair as he rummaged through the office, looking for items, Kearney said. The victim offered to give her earbuds and earrings to him in the hopes he would leave.
The suspect became angry, police said, and he proceeded to beat and choke the woman repeatedly. Then, he raped her.
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A second employee, who had stepped out for a 30-minute lunch break, came back into the office and witnessed the assault. The suspect then ran out, police said.
Harris has no known address, but has ties to Camden and Woodbury, New Jersey, as well as Center City Philadelphia, police said.
Harris goes by several aliases, including William Banks, Wil Harris, Billy Smith, Reese Smith, Willie Smith and Maurice Harris, Philadelphia police said.
Harris has an extensive criminal history in both Philadelphia and New Jersey dating back to early 90s, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. Once he is extradited back to Philadelphia, he will face rape, sex assault, strangulation and other assault charges.
"The DA's Office is grateful to law enforcement in Philadelphia and New Jersey for working quickly to identify this individual and bring him into custody," the DA's office said.
