A man wearing a Chucky doll mask terrorized at least six people in Philadelphia, chasing a female jogger and asking, “Are you ready to die?” The suspect, believed to be between 16 and 20 years old, now faces charges including terroristic threats, harassment, assault, reckless endangerment and intimidation.
Police Detail Harrowing Encounter
Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith described the incident involving the jogger, saying: “He’s holding his cell phone up in front of her, at which time he asks her: 'Are you ready to die?' [She] appears startled, at which time the male asks her again, ‘Are you ready to die?’ Clearly she’s not ready to die, so she takes off.”
Smith added that the jogger was injured while running from the masked man and “screaming for help.” A witness named Jameka told WPVI she saw the man prowling behind the jogger and tried to warn her: “I started to wave at her from across the intersection and say, ‘Hey there’s someone behind you, look behind you.’”
Witness Fights Off Attacker
Jameka said the man then attempted to force his way into a La Colombe coffee shop before turning his attention to her. She fought him off, kicking him in the chest while screaming. She noted something seemed off about him: “He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were. I had bags; he wasn’t reaching for those. It didn’t seem like he had a clear goal to do anything so I was like, let’s see if you can fight, and he couldn’t.”
The incidents occurred within a 15-minute window in the early hours of last Wednesday. CCTV footage captured the man at a Dunkin Donuts brandishing the “distinctive, Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask.” Smith stated the man was refused service due to erratic behavior.
Manhunt Underway
A manhunt is now underway, with Smith saying: “Trust me when I tell you this… we’re going to do our darnedest to try and locate this individual.” Police believe the suspect is a Black man.
Café employee Kate Egan, who saw the man terrorize a coworker, said: “It’s really unsettling just trying to get to work and have a kid like this actively terrorising women. I really hope he is caught.”
