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Two sexual assaults occurred within 30 minutes and five blocks of each other with a similar incident happening three months ago that may have been the same perpetrator.
A man tried to start a conversation with a 20-year-old on the 1000 block of South Ninth Street at 1 a.m. July 18, Lt. Anthony McFadden, of the Special Victims Unit, said. He then reached around her waist and attemped to place his hand down her shorts, but she screamed and ran, as did the perpetrator.
As a 19-year-old woman was walking home 30 minutes later, a man grabbed her around the waist and sexually assaulted her on the 1100 block of South 13th Street before fleeing west on Annin Street.
For both assaults, the suspect, who appeared to be a laborer or construction worker, was described as a Hispanic man with a dark complexion, age 25 to 30, 5-foot-9, clean shaven and wearing all black clothing, sneakers and a black Adidas hat with white lettering.
While police have linked the two assaults together, investigators are working to link a three-month-old sexual assault as well, McFadden said.
In the May 15 incident, a man knocked a 28-year-old to the ground and put his hands on her hips on the 900 block of Moore Street, but neighbors heard the assault causing the man to flee east toward Ninth Street, McFadden said.
To report information, call Special Victims at 215-685-3251 or visit www.phillypolice.com/forms.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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