A Philadelphia man accused of terrifying a woman by chasing her through city streets while wearing a Chucky mask has been identified by authorities and is now believed to be on the run.
Police named the suspect as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, who they say pursued a 40-year-old female jogger during an early morning run at about 5.30am last Wednesday.
The Philadelphia Police Department said Tuesday that Hughes may have left the state, adding that he allegedly “has ties to California and Nevada.”
Surveillance footage released by investigators shows the masked man running after the woman as she moved through an intersection.
Authorities said the suspect made “threatening comments” while keeping one hand behind his back, prompting the victim to stumble and suffer an injury.
In the video, the jogger appears to turn around in an attempt to shake off the masked figure, but he quickly changes direction and continues following her.
A second camera captured the woman sprinting along a five-lane road as the suspect followed close behind.
He appeared unable to close the gap and eventually veered off in another direction while the woman remained only a few feet ahead.
Zymire Hughes, 22, was identified as the suspect who chased a 40-year-old female jogger during her early morning run at around 5.30am last Wednesday, police said
The lone jogger was chased by a man wearing a Chucky doll mask, who allegedly terrorized multiple people, laughing at his victims and asked if they were ‘ready to die,’ police said
Investigators released several photos of the suspect, which show him sporting the Chucky mask and a blue plaid backpack
He crossed multiple lanes of traffic and diverted to the sidewalk on the right-hand side of the street as the runner continued to jog down the road.
The suspect had allegedly terrorized multiple people in the community, with police claiming he laughed at his victims and asked if they are ‘ready to die.’
A second victim claimed that the suspect appeared to be filming the nightmarish encounters on his cell phone.
Jameka, who declined to share her last name, told WPVI that the man approached her with his phone in hand just moments after he had chased another woman.
‘I started to wave at her from across the intersection and say, “Hey, there’s someone behind you – look behind you!” And she heard me, and then she started to run away,’ she claimed.
She said the suspect then tried to force his way into a local coffee shop, but after being denied entry, turned his attention towards her.
The alleged victim screamed ‘don’t follow me’ and put up her hands in a fighting stance, she recalled.
‘I blocked my face, making sure my centerline was protected. And then he also started to put his hands up but I could tell that he’d never been in a fight before,’ she told the news outlet.
Cameras caught the suspect chasing the 40-year-old near City Hall around 5.30am
Jameka, who claimed she was also terrorized by the suspect, said he appeared to be filming the nightmarish encounters on his cell phone
The suspect, seen with a phone in his hand, allegedly terrorized multiple people in the community
Jameka, who described the suspect as appearing ‘disoriented,’ claims he ran away after she kicked him.
Officers say the suspect will face several serious charges once he is apprehended.
Anyone with information about his identity or whereabouts is asked to call the Philadelphia police at 215-686-8477.
This is a breaking news story.
