Fourth Victim Comes Forward As Police Continue Search For Man Wanted In North Philadelphia Attempted Abductions
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A fourth woman came forward Wednesday, describing her encounter with a suspect wanted in a string of attempted abductions in a North Philadelphia community. Eyewitness News spoke with the woman as one of the other three victims has come forward to police.
"I was walking and I had just sent a text to my friend and I look up and there was a guy on the side," Medina Oyefusi said.
Oyefusi says that guy was the same man who attacked three other women Sunday morning.
"He gets super close and touches me and I back up and say, 'What are you doing? Don't touch me,'" Oyefusi said.
She says it happened Sunday morning as she was walking south on the 800 block of North 15th Street around the same time as the other attacks.
Fortunately, when she called her boss for help, the suspect ran away.
"I said, 'Hello, there is a man following me.' He grabbed his stuff, and took off down the street," Oyefusi said.
Since the assaults, investigators with the Special Victims Unit have combed the area looking for the man. Eyewitness News confirms the suspect is transient, but used to live within two blocks of the crime scene.
"It's really, really scary. I have a daughter who is almost 16," a neighbor said. "That could have been my daughter."
Neighbors on the very street where the suspect lived say they're not surprised to hear who police are searching for.
"He's always had a problem with mental health and drug abuse," a neighbor said.
Investigators released video of the same man attacking three women within a 30-minute span starting around 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
"Real, real intense," Akbar Muhammad said of the mood in the Francisville community.
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That's why he and other men from a nearby mosque are standing watch.
"Trying to show people that there are people who are concerned about them, specifically the women, you know?" Muhammad said.
And like those who have become victims, residents are waiting for police to catch the suspect.
"It was the same guy in the same spot, four times," Oyefusi said.
Though investigators have identified the suspect, they have not yet arrested him. If you see him, call 911 immediately.
