Police are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl he met through a social media app.
Police say the victim met the suspect on the Whisper app, thought she was talking to a teen boy and invited him over.
When he arrived at her Haverford Township home on April 22, however, she realized she had been talking to a grown man. The man then sexually assaulted her in the home before running off, police said.
Police released a sketch of the suspect. He’s described as a man in his early 20s with blond or reddish hair, a short buzz cut, stubble beard, blue eyes and stocky build, standing at 5-foot-7.
He was last seen wearing a blue, short sleeve shirt, black shorts, brown Timberland boots and a gold chain around his neck. The victim also told police the suspect smelled like cigarettes and used the name “Joe.”
"The perpetrator in this crime deleted his information immediately so it's almost impossible to track it back," Haverford Twp. Police Chief John Viola said.
Once downloaded, Whisper randomly generates a username for the user if they want to see posts. Users can sort by how close they are but have to agree to guidelines before being allowed to chat anonymously.
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A representative for Whisper told NBC10 the app is rated 17+ and is blocked when parental controls are enabled. The company is currently helping police with the investigation.
"There are young kids using this app," Haverford Township Deputy Chief Joe Hagan said. "They're putting information out there. The most important thing is for parents to check."
If you have any information on the suspect’s identity, please call Detective Mark Johnson at 610-853-1298, ext. 1234 or email him at mjohnson@havpd.org.
