PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia police say a Manayunk woman woke up to find a man exposing himself in her home, and the victim believes that same man had been following her on the street just a short while earlier.
Investigators released video of the suspect on Tuesday as the search for him continues.
The 20-year-old victim told police she and another person were walking near Cresson and Grape streets around 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day when an unknown man began following closely behind them.
According to police, the victim and her companion became uncomfortable and quickly went into their home.
The victim fell asleep on the living room sofa but woke up around 1:55 a.m. to find a man standing over her and indecently exposing himself.
“I feel like I’m still in a state of shock for sure. There are no words, no words, for how I feel,” the woman told Action News. “I woke up, and there was just a man doing sexual acts while I was sleeping.”
The woman shouted at him to leave, which he did.
“I was like, if he’s going to hurt me, he’s going to do it regardless. So I was like, ‘Get out.’ He did, he walked right out,” the victim recalled.
After he was gone, police say the woman found that her purse had been moved, the contents were dumped on the floor, and $20 had been taken.
“It’s certainly concerning. This isn’t the normal behavior of a run-of-the-mill burglar. Fortunately, it didn’t escalate more than reported,” said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Hewitt.
The victim told investigators she believes the man inside her home was the same man who had followed her earlier in the evening.
Police acknowledge the video is grainy but believe it could be enough if the right person sees it. They say he hid in some alleyways before disappearing, and there is concern he could strike again.
“I really hope he can be found and put away, just for other people’s safety more than anything,” the victim said.
Police say the person the victim had been walking with was on the second floor of the home at the time of the break-in and did not see the man.
Anyone with information can call or text Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.
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