Philadelphia police have identified the man suspected of terrorizing people in the city’s Center City area while wearing a Chucky-style Halloween mask — and they believe he may have already left Pennsylvania.
According to ABC News, the Philadelphia Police Department announced Thursday (August 20) that Zymire Hughes, 22, is the suspect behind a string of incidents that took place during a roughly 20-minute period on the morning of Tuesday (August 12).
Hughes is accused of approaching and frightening multiple people in the Center City neighborhood while wearing what police described as a “baby doll style Halloween mask” resembling the iconic horror character Chucky. In one incident captured on surveillance video, the masked suspect chased a female jogger, allegedly asking her, “Are you ready to die?” The victim fled screaming and injured her leg during the ordeal.
Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said investigators believe at least six people were targeted, with the suspect running up to them in an apparent attempt to scare or antagonize them. Surveillance footage also showed the suspect holding a cellphone in his left hand, appearing to film the encounters himself. At one point, he pulled down the white mask, exposing part of his face — an image police later released to help identify him.
The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed on social media that an arrest warrant is now active. “Hughes may have fled PA and has ties to California and Nevada,” the department posted. “We’re working with the U.S. Marshals to bring him back to face justice.”
Once Hughes is apprehended, he will face charges including terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and intimidation, according to Captain Smith.
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