Philly Police are looking for suspects in two sexual assaults

Philadelphia Police announced Friday that they are searching for suspects in two recent sexual assaults, including one where a 71-year-old woman was attacked during a break-in at her home in East Mount Airy.

In that incident, investigators say a man between ages 17 and 24 barged into the woman’s home on Devon Street near East Gowen Avenue through her unlocked front door on Thursday afternoon, screaming for help. The suspect said that someone was chasing him, but it was a “ruse,” according to Special Victims Unit Capt. James Kearney.

Once inside, the man demanded money from the woman, and when she refused, he punched her in the head multiple times and choked her, dragging her up and down the stairs of her home.

In a room on the second floor, the suspect ordered the woman to undress and sexually assaulted her, according to police. The woman was eventually able to fight him off, and he fled, stealing her phone, credit card, and 2014 Toyota Corolla.

“She has my respect, and she’s certainly a hero,” Kearney said of the victim, choking up as he described the details of her assault.

Hours later, a man assaulted a 27-year-old woman as she walked through Rittenhouse Square just after 1:30 a.m. Friday, police said. The woman, who lives in the area, had just left a nearby bar and was walking home when a man approached her and forced her between tents set up for the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show.

In that secluded area, the man sexually assaulted her but was stopped by a 29-year-old security guard working for the show’s organizers. The suspect fled, and was last seen walking on 18th Street toward Walnut Street.

On Friday night, police said they had stopped a person of interest known to frequent an area near Rittenhouse Square. The man was being questioned by detectives, but no charges had been filed, police said.

Kearney encouraged anyone with information on either assault to contact Special Victims Unit investigators at 215-686-8477.