A chilling ordeal involving a man dressed in a “Chucky”-inspired mask who was suspected of menacing pedestrians in Philadelphia has culminated in an arrest in Las Vegas, marking the end of an extensive multi-state search. This information was confirmed by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, was apprehended thanks to a coordinated effort between the U.S. Marshals Service’s branch in Philadelphia and the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force. Hughes is now being held at the Clark County Detention Center, awaiting his return to Pennsylvania where he will face charges.
Reports indicate that Hughes left the Philadelphia area on August 19, embarking on a journey that began at Trenton-Mercer Airport in New Jersey. He traveled first to Orlando, Florida, and eventually made his way to Las Vegas, as noted by FOX5 Vegas, referencing federal officials.
The incident captured on surveillance shows the wanted individual near Philadelphia’s City Hall, his face obscured by a cracked baby doll Halloween mask, giving an eerie edge to the scenario. (Philadelphia Police Department)
According to the U.S. Marshals, Hughes had settled in Las Vegas earlier in February, maintaining employment connections across Nevada and California. To evade capture, Hughes is said to have frequently moved locations, spending a clandestine five-day period at an apartment complex in southeast Las Vegas.
Task-force officers ultimately located Hughes through surveillance footage from the complex, according to the report. Hughes allegedly questioned the arrest and resisted officers before deputies subdued him.
“Nothing was recovered upon arrest, and he did not make any statements about his motive,” the U.S. Marshal’s office told Fox News.
U.S. Marshals take Zymire Hughes into custody in Las Vegas on Tuesday. (X/@USMS_Philly)
Philadelphia police had been searching for Hughes in connection with a series of confrontations near City Hall in the early morning hours of Aug. 12. Authorities allege he approached, chased and threatened multiple people while wearing a cracked doll-style mask and recording the encounters on a cellphone.
In one incident, police said Hughes allegedly asked a 40-year-old female jogger, “Are you ready to die?” while keeping his arm behind his back as though he had a weapon. The woman fled and suffered a leg injury requiring extensive treatment, authorities said.
Philadelphia police say the suspect wore a “white baby doll style Halloween mask with black hair” and carried a black-and-blue plaid backpack during the incidents. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Hughes was wanted on an active aggravated assault warrant, FOX5 reported. Philadelphia officials had previously said he faced felony and misdemeanor assault charges and was already on probation in an unrelated Montgomery County case.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner had warned Hughes last week that authorities were closing in.
“If Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people, make them run — who’s scared now? Who’s running now?” Krasner said at a news conference.