A Philadelphia jogger experienced a terrifying moment reminiscent of a horror film when she was pursued by an individual wearing a Chucky doll mask. The masked pursuer ominously questioned her, “Are you ready to die?”
The 40-year-old runner was among approximately six individuals frightened at random by this suspect during the early morning of August 12, according to Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith. The incident was highlighted during a press briefing, as reported by The New York Post.
The suspect—identified by authorities as a Black male aged between 16 and 20—donned a “Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask.” He was initially observed at approximately 5:18 a.m. gallivanting through Philadelphia’s streets, attempting to intimidate passersby while filming these encounters on his cell phone, as reported by NBC 10.
Shortly after, at around 5:20 a.m., the suspect entered a Dunkin’ located at the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets. Denied service, he returned to the streets to continue terrorizing unsuspecting individuals.
At another point during the unnerving morning, the suspect targeted a man clad in a reflective vest before shifting his focus to the female jogger. As Captain Smith recounted, the chase occurred on the east side of 15th Street around 5:33 a.m.
“He’s holding his cell phone up in front of her, at which time he asks her ‘Are you ready to die?’” Smith said, per The New York Post. “[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.”
Police also released video of the man, dressed in black, as he chased the woman from behind.
“The female is screaming for help this entire time,” Smith said, per WPVI, adding that the suspect then “abruptly stops and heads northbound on 15th Street, at which point he gets on the escalators at Suburban Station.”
During the encounter, the jogger stumbled and sustained an injury, police said in a statement.
Witness Jameka told WPVI that she’d tried to call out and warn the runner, who was wearing headphones.
“I started to wave at her from across the intersection and say, ‘Hey there’s someone behind you, look behind you,’” Jameka explained. “And she heard me, and then she started to run away.”
Jameka said the suspect then tried to force his way into a coffee shop, before turning his attention to her.
She screamed and kicked him in the chest before he ran off.
“He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were,” she said. “I had bags; he wasn’t reaching for those. It didn’t seem like he had a clear goal.”
Kate Eagen, another witness at the coffee shop, called the incident “pretty disturbing.”
Police are now asking for the public’s help to find the man, who is wanted for assault.
The suspect is described as 5-foot-8, with a thin build and was carrying a black and blue plaid backpack.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police.