'Are You Ready To Die?': Cops Identify 'Chucky' Masked Suspect Who Terrorized Female Jogger in Horrifying Philadelphia Attack

Philadelphia police have identified a 22-year-old man as Zymire Hughes, who is accused of donning a 'Chucky' mask, chasing women through the city centre and asking one jogger 'Are you ready to die?' amid warnings he may have already fled Pennsylvania.

According to the Philadelphia Police Department, Hughes is wanted in connection with multiple incidents in the early hours of 12 and 15 August in the Center City area. Capt Jason Smith told reporters that officers believe he encountered around 15 to 16 people that morning, with at least six victims detailed so far in official accounts.

In each instance, the masked suspect allegedly ran towards people around City Hall while wearing what Smith described as a 'distinctive Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask'. One of the most serious confrontations unfolded at about 5.30am when a woman was jogging near City Hall.

In an incident captured on surveillance video, the suspect allegedly chased her and asked, 'Are you ready to die?' The woman fled, screaming for help, and seriously injured her leg while trying to escape, an injury Smith said will require 'extensive medical treatment'.

Surveillance Trail How Detectives Pieced Together the 'Chucky' Suspect's Path

Detectives have pieced together a timeline from city and transit cameras. Smith said the first encounter that morning was logged at around 5.01am near 10th and Chestnut Streets.

The suspect then allegedly moved along Chestnut, harassing several individuals including the female jogger near City Hall, before entering SEPTA, the city's transit agency, at Suburban Station at about 5.35am. Video from the station shows the man in the white mask being told by transit officers to remove it, before he continues to startle people underground while holding a mobile phone in his left hand.

Police said he appeared to use the phone to film the encounters. He ultimately boarded a Route 33 bus at around 5.59am and travelled to the area of 23rd and Venango Street, where police say he lives.

Video from inside a nearby apartment then shows the same man without the mask, which detectives used to help identify Hughes and secure an arrest warrant.

One bystander, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Jameka, previously described her own encounter with the masked suspect, saying she tried to warn the jogger being followed, only for the man to turn on her instead. She said she screamed for help and eventually kicked him in the chest to get away.

'He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were,' she said, adding that he did not try to take the bags she was carrying. Police said they cannot confirm whether the recording was linked to any online trend and have urged caution on speculation.

Suspect May Have Fled Pennsylvania as US Marshals Join Hunt

The suspect was described by officers as wearing 'a white baby doll style Halloween mask with black hair, and a black/blue plaid backpack'. He was caught on camera at one point pulling the mask down far enough to expose part of his face, a still image released earlier in the week as detectives appealed for help identifying him.

Police said Hughes 'may have fled PA and has ties to California and Nevada', adding that US Marshals are helping to track him down. District Attorney Larry Krasner warned: 'You think it's funny to scare people? Get ready to get scared by us because we got the handcuffs, we got the jail cell, we got the Philly jury that's going to tell you it's not funny at all.'

Once arrested, Hughes is expected to face a range of charges including terroristic threats, harassment, simple assault, reckless endangerment and intimidation, according to Capt Smith. Police have urged anyone who sees him not to approach him, but to call 911 immediately.