Overview
- Surveillance footage shows a masked man running up to and filming multiple pedestrians around City Hall during a roughly 15–20 minute span on August 12, including an episode in which a 40-year-old jogger was chased and asked, “Are you ready to die?”
- Two SEPTA officers contacted the man inside Suburban Station the same morning, asked him to remove his mask, and watched him partially unmask before he evaded capture and left the station.
- Philadelphia police have publicly identified the suspect as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, issued an active arrest warrant, and say he may have left Pennsylvania with known ties to California and Nevada; the U.S. Marshals Service is assisting the search.
- Authorities say Hughes is expected to face charges that include terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault, reckless endangerment and intimidation, and investigators are probing three social accounts tied to him to determine motive.
- Officials urge anyone with information to call police tip lines and warn the public not to approach the suspect; the episode has left residents rattled and prompted city leaders to promise prosecution if Hughes is found.