Authorities in Philadelphia are on the hunt for a suspect accused of breaking into a home and assaulting a teenager in her sleep, sparking fear within the community.

The individual sought by police is identified as 26-year-old Lee Johnson. He allegedly intruded into a residence located on the 2200 block of East Somerset Street in the Kensington neighborhood around 6 a.m. on June 4, proceeding to commit the disturbing act against the teenager.

The 18-year-old victim recounted her terrifying experience to ABC6, saying, “First I felt the covers coming off of me, I’m just thinking it’s me moving in my sleep.”

She further explained the violation, stating, “I felt somebody touching me inappropriately down there.”

Despite the shock, she described her disoriented state during the attack: “I couldn’t even open my eyes all the way. I just see him at the bottom of the bed.”

Once the suspect realized the woman was awake, he covered her mouth to stop her from screaming.

But the teen quickly thwarted the creep’s attempts to quiet her.

“Once he realized I was fighting back, he just jumped right off me,” she said. 

Her mother saw the individual scrambling out the rear entrance of the home. 

“When I heard her say, ‘somebody in here,’ I immediately jumped up,” the victim’s mother said. 

“When I jumped up I seen him running up the steps and running out my back door.”

The Philadelphia Police Department told The Post that the suspect stole several belongings from the home before fleeing.

The experience has been a nightmare for the victim and her family.

“This whole experience has been traumatic,” the victim’s mother told ABC6.  “Nobody can sleep at night. We sleep together. We don’t want to be home.”

Johnson is described as a black male in his 20s with a tall, slender build. 

He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with white lettering on the back, a red shirt and black pants near the 6100 block of Algon Avenue in Crescentville, according to police.

Johnson has been charged with aggravated indecent assault, burglary, unlawful restraint and other related charges.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling or texting 215-686-TIPS (8477). All information will be kept confidential.

For the first time since the alarming events surrounding Internet personality Perez Hilton, his family has broken their silence. Hilton was hospitalized after a disturbing TikTok livestream where he inflicted self-harm with a knife on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the family addressed the public, confirming that the well-known celebrity blogger, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira Jr., 48, remains under medical care following the shocking incident.

“We are deeply thankful for the incredible wave of love, support, and prayers we have received,” expressed the statement from his relatives.

The family assured, “Perez is currently receiving necessary medical attention, and our priority at this moment is his recovery and well-being.”

They added, “Should we have any updates to provide, rest assured we will communicate them as promptly as we can.”

Just hours earlier harrowing surveillance video captured the moment scores of cops swarming the gossip icon’s Miami home when concerned fans alerted 911 to his alarming self-harming behavior on a TikTok livestream. 

Four squad cars were spotted pulling up to the celebrity blogger’s ranch-style house with sirens blaring just after 7pm Tuesday after officers received multiple emergency calls about his behavior. 

The video, captured by a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera, reveals officers then trying to coax Hilton out of the home. 

‘Mario it’s the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, please step out of the house,’ a deputy calls out as more cops arrived. 

Clips taken from the disturbing livestream video, which the Daily Mail has decided not to republish, appeared to show a blood-soaked Hilton rambling incoherently after hacking himself with a knife. 

The Ring footage reveals officers were still there at 11:11pm begging the showbiz blogger not to hurt himself. 

After arriving on the scene on Tuesday evening, officers ultimately spoke with family members and confirmed Hilton was alone inside before making the decision to ‘tactically disengage’ while monitoring the situation, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail.

Hilton was eventually taken to the hospital where he was surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, including his 42-year-old sister, Barbara Lavandeira. 

‘In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,’ the sheriff’s office said.

 ‘Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.’

Authorities later confirmed that Hilton had ‘been safely recovered and transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention.’

Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Unit and Licensed Mental Health Professionals remained at the scene ‘providing support and resources to the individual’s family.’ 

Hilton is a father to three children, who were born via surrogacy. His eldest son was born in 2013, followed by two daughters in 2015 and 2017.  

The celebrity reporter’s condition remains unclear. The Daily Mail has reached out to Hilton’s representatives for comment. 

The video has been taken down, and Hilton’s account has since been suspended by TikTok. 

Hilton’s representatives, Golden Artists Entertainment Co-CEOs Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, told TMZ in a statement, ‘We are aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton.

‘At this time, we have not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him. Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family. Until we have confirmed information, we will not speculate or comment further.

‘We appreciate everyone’s concern and ask that his privacy be respected during this time.’ 

In the meantime, celebrity friends and fans of the blogger, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, have taken to social media to send him messages, begging for him to seek medical help. 

‘The Perez Hilton video is so upsetting,’ wrote Trisha Paytas. ‘I hope he’s OK. I hope his children are OK.

‘Crashing out on the internet, whether it’s fake or real – is a cry for help.’ 

Jessica Rosado, a singer and the host of Las Vegas Morning Blend, also posted a statement to her Instagram page.

‘As someone who knows Perez personally, I find myself at a loss for words,’ she wrote. ‘I know the move to Miami hasn’t been an easy one, but never could I ever have imagined something as dark and deeply disturbing as this. 

‘He is clearly in distress, and as someone who is also in media, I’m not rushing to discuss things I don’t have all the facts on,’ she continued. ‘I’m waiting to hear more from trusted sources.’

In the meantime, Rosado said her ‘love pours out to him and his entire family.’

‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out with kind words and concern,’ the television host said. ‘Whether you are close with someone or not, please remember to move with empathy and approach others with the utmost care.’ 

Former politician George Santos wrote on X: ‘Please pray for Perez Hilton folks. He needs the power of prayer and the strength of our Lord and Savior.’ 

Others hit out at TikTok for allowing the disturbing video to continue for about half an hour.

‘Genuinely think TikTok should be held liable in some way for allowing that Perez Hilton feed to last 30 minutes. Absolutely insane,’ one X user wrote.

Another noted that the platform ‘allowed for many people, including children to come across a live where a man was going through a mental health crisis.’

‘Check on the people you love and please,’ the netizen urged. 

In March, Hilton revealed that he had just emerged from a 21-day hospital stint as he battled sepsis, a result, he said, of taking flu medication on an empty stomach that triggered a cascade of health problems.

At the Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Hilton underwent two surgeries as he was treated for a string of medical crises.

During his recovery the following month, Hilton wrote he felt ‘like I should be scared right now, but I’m not.

‘I definitely am worried, though. God show me the way!’ he wrote on April 8. 

‘Perez Hilton is GOING THROUGH IT right now,’ the columnist continued. ‘He asks for prayers and for Christ to intervene – sooner [rather] than later.’ 

Hilton later told the Daily Mail how he found God during his recovery.

‘It was God presenting Himself to me, and then doing something that I could only describe as a miracle to heal me… I was still unwell, and then God did something,’ the gossip columnist said.

He also said that his professed exchange with the Almighty allowed him to change his mindset about his rollercoaster 22-year career. 

Hilton had come under fire over the years for his controversial behavior – including outing gay celebrities and giving certain A-listers inappropriate nicknames. 

He admitted that he had ‘made a lot of mistakes in the past which are very public. Which I own. Which I regret, which I have deep shame for, which I’ve apologized for repeatedly, publicly as well as privately.’

But, he said, ‘to have this experience with God and to know that God loves me, and God forgives me, it was very healing, because I then forgave myself.’ 

Hilton also noted he harbored guilt over ‘all of the mistakes – not even mistakes, they were awful decisions that I made’ in his ‘enfant terrible phase’ as a celebrity blogger, when he ‘knew what I was doing was wrong and I didn’t care.’

‘It’s like if you’re a drug addict, and you’re stealing from your parents’ money to buy drugs. You know what you’re doing is wrong, and you don’t care. You just want that hit,’ the father-of-three continued. ‘And that was truly what I was doing.’

For Hilton, the ‘most powerful drug’ was the ‘attention’ he garnered as an online gadfly, ‘and I didn’t care who I hurt in the process.’

Still, his ‘experience with God’ did not inspire a total career change. 

When people ask if he’d consider changing professions, Hilton told them: ‘No, because I’m not doing gossip. I do celebrity journalism.’

If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988. If you are in the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123 for free. If you are in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

In a significant crackdown, the U.S. Department of Justice, together with leaders from several federal agencies, announced on Wednesday the indictment of individuals associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). These charges are linked to drug trafficking and illegal weapons activities, as well as elaborate timeshare fraud schemes preying primarily on older Americans.

This announcement emerged from a broader inter-agency press briefing, unveiling a comprehensive set of enforcement measures aimed at dismantling the CJNG’s operations across Mexico.

“These intricate criminal networks employ brutality and intimidation to dominate the traffic of lethal narcotics into the United States—covering fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and more. Their actions sow disorder and tragedy in our neighborhoods,” declared Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during the news briefing.

Adding to the gravity, Blanche elaborated, “The cartel members face charges spanning from orchestrating drug trafficking syndicates and directing well-trained assassins responsible for killings and attempted hits, to sourcing illegal arms, laundering money, and producing and distributing dangerous drugs. Notably, three of these cartel suspects are also accused of engaging in sophisticated fraud schemes that exploited elderly Americans through an alleged timeshare fraud operation.”

As part of the enforcement, the DOJ’s criminal division brought federal charges against five senior members of the cartel, including drug trafficking and firearms offenses, Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva said. Duva also provided further details about the fraud scheme targeting elderly Americans.

“CJNG targeted Americans who are aspiring to own or already own timeshares in Mexico, many of them elderly, and promised them profits for selling or renting them. But first, the victims had to pay taxes and advance fees. Of course, the profits never came. Once someone paid, the fraudsters contacted them again, posing as lawyers or officials who could recover the money for another fee,” Duva explained.

“Of course it was fake. The scheme morphed and continued, with the fraudsters even claiming that the victims actually paid a cartel and would be arrested if they did not pay more, which they did. One particular victim, an 83-year-old individual, an American who bought a timeshare many years ago for $179,000, was duped at each level of this phase. He paid advance fees to begin with. He fell for fake real estate websites and title companies. He was victimized again by attorneys who sent their bar information and fake websites, who claimed that they could get his money back. Of course they were impersonators and they could not,” Duva continued.

“Government agencies then contacted him for additional fees, using government letterhead and spoofed government websites. And then again, Mexican law enforcement contacted him and demanded he pay criminal and civil fines because he had apparently paid a cartel. It went on and on. It victimized this man for hundreds of thousands of dollars over eight years,” Duva said.

Between 2019 and 2023, FBI Director Kash Patel explained during the news conference, the scheme defrauded over 6,000 Americans to the tune of $400 million.

“These individuals, pursuant to the New York Field Office investigation that began a few years ago, started call centers, down south and across the world. The funds they utilized and they scammed out of these call centers from senior citizens from across America, totaled over $400 million. They duped our seniors using email, telephone, text messages and phishing campaigns into subscribing to a timeshare project that they falsely stood up and falsely delivered promises that our seniors would be able to enjoy their lives and their vacations, only to have that money seized from them and that vacation and their retirements deprived from them,” Patel said.

Patel also announced that the FBI had executed over 30 foreign transfers of custody in 15 countries in July alone.

“I’m here to tell you today, for all these individuals that are on the run right now, you will not be on the run for long. We will hunt you down in every corner of the planet, and we will return you here to face American justice,” he said. Patel also said the FBI was working to return stolen funds to the elderly victims, adding “we have seized these funds and we are going to get them back to the senior citizens that were fleeced of their life savings and their retirements. That is the mission of law enforcement.”

Blanche said the DOJ has been working with a wide swath of other federal agencies on increased enforcement actions which he said have helped reduce fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S. by 22%. The agencies involved in the enforcement actions included the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the IRS, the State Department, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The DEA’s Administrator Terry Cole framed the enforcement as an America First policy during the news conference.

“Since the inception nearly two decades ago, CJNG has grown into one of the world’s most dangerous and ruthless foreign terrorist organizations. CJNG was built on a vast criminal network that produces and distributes deadly drugs, while sustaining a powerful influence via violence and corruption in Mexico. This includes members within the Mexican government who shield CJNG leadership from justice and facilitate drug trafficking, money laundering, and violence,” Cole said.

“CJNG actions have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans, Americans that were lost way too soon. They did this through the production and distribution of fentanyl, a weapon of mass destruction. DEA is aggressively targeting both the cartels and the corrupt government officials who are responsible for the deaths of our citizens,” Cole continued.

“Today’s coordinated actions against CJNG leadership and infrastructure, including superseding indictments and rewards totaling more than $100 million in arrest, will not end. It sends a very clear message. This is just the beginning. This is about Americans first. This is a fight against CJNG that we are just beginning, and we will not back down. DEA investigations of cases have generated more than 100 federal indictments against CJNG leaders and members and associates. We are working with our international partners to arrest, extradite, and prosecute these defendants in the United States,” Cole concluded.

Blanche said the agency partnered with the State Department to offer up to $100 million for information leading to the arrest of the cartel leaders.

News Media contacted the DOJ, FBI and DEA for further comment.