A man accused of causing chaos in downtown Philadelphia last week by donning a chilling Chucky-style mask may now be lurking in the Los Angeles area, according to law enforcement sources.

Identified as Zymire Hughes, the 22-year-old has significant work and personal connections to LA, and authorities believe he might already have made his way there, as FOX Los Angeles reported.

Surveillance cameras captured footage of Hughes packing a suitcase and leaving his apartment complex earlier this week, the news outlet disclosed. Given his frequent trips between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, investigators suspect he might be in the vicinity.

Despite these efforts, officials have yet to pinpoint his location. Hughes is currently sought after by both the Philadelphia Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Law enforcement agencies in Southern California and Nevada were monitoring transportation stations and following up on any reported sightings of Hughes.

Hughes was identified Thursday as the masked suspect who allegedly approached, chased and threatened several people in the early morning hours of Aug. 12 in Philadelphia while filming the strange encounters on a cellphone.

He was on probation and now faces felony and misdemeanor assault charges from last week’s incident.

In one incident, Hughes allegedly asked a 40-year-old female jogger: “Are you ready to die?” while holding his hand behind his back, prompting her to flee. She sustained a leg injury that will require extensive treatment, police said.

“Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people, make them run. Who’s scared now? Who’s running now?” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a news conference Thursday. 

“He’s a punk. I mean, that’s the bottom line. He’s a punk who scared a lot of people for no good reason, and we’re not going to tolerate it.”

Investigators said they believe Hughes may have been trying to create social media content in an effort to monetize it.

“There wasn’t an attempt by himself to lay hands on anyone,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said Thursday. 

“He didn’t brandish any weapon, although, in the case of the jogger, he did have his right arm behind his back, implying that he had a weapon. But at no point in time did he furnish a weapon.”

In a stark example of the controversial content found on TikTok, a disturbing incident has led critics to question the app’s impact on youth culture.

Authorities detained two 13-year-old boys on Friday, accused of launching a violent attack on a California father. The incident unfolded when the boys allegedly disrupted the man’s peaceful jacuzzi session, with one reportedly kicking him in the back of the head and the other swiping his iPhone.

The arrests followed the boys being turned in by their own parents.

Greg Medina, the victim of the assault in San Bernardino on August 14, was first contacted by the father of one of the suspects. The father reached out through Facebook to inform Medina of his son’s participation in the alarming event.

Subsequently, the concerned father took decisive action by escorting his son to the authorities and handing him over to the police.

Medina later met both teens, their fathers and other family members at the jail.

The boys apologized, and Medina shook hands with them.

“They were very respectful, the fathers were very respectful as well,” Medina told The California Post.

Medina said he later learned the teens had been trying to film something for TikTok when they attacked him.

According to Medina, they took his phone so he would not be able to call the police.

“I was glad to get an answer, but disappointed TikTok was the reason.”

The attack was captured on surveillance video.

Medina was sitting in the jacuzzi when one of the teens approached from behind and delivered a hard kick to the back of his head.

The second boy then reached down and grabbed Medina’s phone from the concrete.

The teens never said anything to him, Medina said. They laughed.

“They thought it was funny to do this to me.”

The boys also laughed as they ran away.

Medina never got his phone back.

The teens ditched his new iPhone somewhere after taking it, he said.

The phone cost more than $1,000, and Medina had just finished paying it off.

His AirPods were also lost, while his glasses were broken during the attack.

The kick sent Medina to the emergency room with a concussion.

He was later diagnosed with “post-concussion syndrome” and continues to suffer from headaches and dizziness.

The 48-year-old has also had to miss work and lose money while recovering.

Medina works full time as a chef for Lutheran Social Services, preparing meals for roughly 70 to 75 homeless men in San Bernardino. His workday starts at 5 a.m. and typically ends around 1 or 2 p.m.

He is also a full-time father to his 12-year-old daughter, Emmy.

After a long day of work, the jacuzzi was supposed to be his chance to unwind.

Instead, Medina was left injured, robbed and facing a recovery that has kept him away from work.

He had to miss work Friday and said he would miss Saturday as well.

“You’re doing this and you’re not realizing that there’s a real person behind this.”

The teen accused of delivering the kick was booked into Juvenile Hall on robbery and battery charges.

The other teen was booked on robbery charges.

Neither suspect has been identified because they are minors.

For Medina, their arrests brought peace of mind.

“I don’t have to worry about them being out on the streets now, there is a sense of relief from that.”

Tragedy struck the San Diego legal community when a seasoned federal prosecutor, reported missing, was later found deceased within the same building where he had dedicated years of service.

Assistant US Attorney Andrew Haden, aged 48, was located lifeless in an office at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego on a Wednesday evening, mere hours after authorities were notified of his disappearance.

The unexpected passing of Haden, a revered prosecutor and recent acting US Attorney, has left the San Diego legal sphere in shock. His peers hailed him as a cherished leader who devoted more than 15 years to federal litigation, twice ascending to guide the office.

According to the San Diego police, no evidence of foul play was found; however, insiders conveyed to the New York Post that suicide is suspected as the cause of Haden’s demise.

The Medical Examiner has yet to officially confirm the cause and manner of Haden’s death.

Police received a report of a missing man late Wednesday evening before officers traced Haden to an office at 880 Front Street, according to department spokesperson Ashley Nicholes.

The address is the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, home to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, where Haden had worked since 2010.

‘Out of an abundance of caution, SDPD investigators responded to the scene, and no foul play is suspected,’ Nicholes told the Los Angeles Times.

‘The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner.’

The circumstances surrounding why Haden had initially been reported missing and how long he had been unaccounted for have not been publicly disclosed.

News of his death sent shockwaves through the federal prosecutor’s office on Thursday.

Southern District US Attorney Adam Gordon gathered staff for a meeting and later emailed employees to inform them of Haden’s death, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Gordon said he would not disclose further details out of respect for Haden’s wife and children.

‘This is one of the darkest days in our office’s history, but there was nothing dark about Andrew Haden’s life,’ Gordon said in an emotional tribute.

‘He was a beacon of light – full of laughter, friendship, integrity and unwavering commitment to serving our community.

‘We will honor his life and legacy by carrying his light forward, today and always.’

Haden was one of the most senior and experienced prosecutors in the Southern District of California, having held a succession of leadership positions during his lengthy career.

He twice took over as acting US Attorney during periods of transition at the top of the office, serving for roughly two months in 2023 and then returning to the role for another approximately two-month stint in 2025.

He also served as first assistant US attorney and previously headed both its Violent Crimes & Human Trafficking Section and Criminal Division.

Judges and even defense attorneys who had battled Haden in court were among those mourning him after news of his sudden death emerged.

Southern District of California Chief Judge Cynthia Bashant described his death as a ‘loss for everyone.’

She remembered Haden as ‘well loved and well respected.’

Defense attorney Jeremy Warren, who regularly found himself on the opposite side of the courtroom from Haden, said the pair managed to remain friends despite their professional battles.

‘The fact that we remained friends throughout is a testament to the type of guy he was,’ Warren told the Union-Tribune.

He described Haden’s death as ‘a huge blow to the entire federal community in San Diego.’

Haden’s work also earned him significant recognition within the legal profession.

In 2020, he received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance in a Managerial or Supervisory Role from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

Four years later, the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Association presented him with the Peter J. Mazza Outstanding Federal Lawyer Award.

Scott C. Carr, executive director of the San Diego County Bar Association, said he was ‘just devastated’ after learning of Haden’s sudden death.

Carr recalled speaking with Haden during the most recent government shutdown and seeing firsthand his concern for the people working under him.

‘I remember talking with him during the most recent government shutdown about the impact it was having on employees in his office, and how [he] was working to support his team any way that he could,’ Carr wrote on LinkedIn.

‘Andrew was always friendly with a kind word to say, which makes news of his passing all the more difficult.’

Haden is survived by his wife and two children. 

Residents of Chicago, brace yourselves for some turbulent weather ahead as there’s a likelihood of severe storms rolling into the area this Friday.

Currently, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for LaSalle County, effective until 8 p.m.

A New Jersey woman, aged 59, faces allegations of intoxication while steering her boat, which led to a crash on Memorial Day, tragically claiming the life of her 28-year-old son.

Jennifer L. Pearson, aged 59, has been charged with several offenses, including death by vessel, a second-degree charge; operating a vessel under the influence; reckless operation; lacking a boating safety certificate; and failing to maintain a proper lookout, as per a statement from New Jersey State Police.

On Memorial Day, approximately at 5:45 p.m., Pearson was navigating Barnegat Bay near the Brant Beach Yacht Club in Long Beach when she purportedly collided her 23-foot center console with a channel marker. This impact hurled her son, Gunnar Pearson, and his girlfriend into the water, as described in documents obtained by NJ 101.5.

Gunnar Pearson succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to a hospital. Four additional individuals incurred minor injuries and received medical attention. Jennifer Pearson turned herself in at the New Jersey State Police Troop C Tuckerton Station on Wednesday, Aug. 19, according to police reports.

According to court documents cited by NJ 101.5, Pearson’s blood alcohol level registered between .09 and .12, just above the legal limit of .08. Investigators detected the smell of alcohol when she arrived to speak with them, and she told them she had consumed two alcoholic drinks earlier that afternoon.

Pearson is being held at the Ocean County Jail.

According to an online obituary, Gunnar, who was described as “kind, funny, and deeply caring,” had recently completed renovations on his first home in Forked River.

He was also described as an avid outdoorsman who loved skiing, fishing, boating, running and hunting.

“He found his greatest joy in spending time with those he loved — whether at home, on the beaches of Long Beach Island, on the ski slopes of Stratton, Vermont, or during family vacations in Maine. These moments together meant everything to him and will remain treasured by those who were fortunate enough to share them,” the obituary said.

Police said the fatal crash remains under investigation.