MAN IN CHUCKY-STYLE MASK IDENTIFIED AFTER PHILADELPHIA POLICE SAY HE TERRORIZED PEDESTRIANS

A bizarre early-morning series of encounters near Philadelphia City Hall has turned into a criminal investigation after police identified the masked man accused of chasing people, making threatening remarks and apparently recording the encounters.

PHILADELPHIA — What looked like something out of a horror movie unfolded on the streets of Center City Philadelphia on August 12.

A man wearing a white doll-style mask resembling Chucky, the fictional horror character, allegedly approached and chased pedestrians around City Hall in the early morning hours.

Now police have identified the man they say was behind the disturbing encounters as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes. An arrest warrant has been issued, and authorities believe he may have left Pennsylvania.

THE MORNING OF THE MASKED ATTACKS

Police say the incidents unfolded within roughly 20 minutes around 5:00 a.m.

Investigators believe Hughes approached multiple people near City Hall, apparently attempting to frighten or antagonize them.

At one point, police say he began following a 40-year-old woman near 1500 John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

The woman was wearing running clothes when the masked man allegedly pursued her.

Then came the words that turned an already bizarre encounter into something much more frightening:

“Are you ready to die?”

Police say Hughes repeatedly asked the woman the question while holding a cellphone toward her and keeping his other hand behind his back.

SHE RAN — AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED

The woman became frightened and attempted to escape.

According to Philadelphia police, she stumbled while running away and suffered a serious leg injury.

Police Capt. Jason Smith said the injury is expected to require extensive medical treatment.

The suspect then allegedly fled toward SEPTA’s Suburban Station.

Surveillance footage captured portions of the encounter, giving investigators an important lead in identifying the man.

POLICE SAY SHE WASN’T THE ONLY TARGET

Investigators believe the woman was just one of several people approached that morning.

Police said Hughes had allegedly been harassing pedestrians around 15th and Chestnut Streets shortly before the chase.

He was reportedly denied service at a coffee shop and was later seen attempting to frighten other people.

Authorities believe he also chased a man before pursuing the female jogger.

At least six people may have been approached or targeted during the series of encounters, although not everyone has come forward.

ANOTHER WOMAN FOUGHT BACK

One woman, identified as Jameka, told 6abc that she saw the masked man following another woman and attempted to warn her.

When the suspect turned his attention toward Jameka, she decided she wasn’t going to run.

She confronted him and ultimately kicked him in the chest.

The man then reportedly backed away.

Her account gave investigators another firsthand description of the bizarre encounters.

She said the man’s behavior appeared confused and lacked an obvious objective beyond frightening people.

WAS HE RECORDING EVERYTHING?

That is one of the questions investigators are now examining.

Police believe Hughes may have been using his cellphone to record the encounters.

Capt. Smith suggested investigators believe the incidents may have been intended as social-media content — either for personal amusement or potentially to be posted online and monetized.

Authorities are now looking through social-media platforms for any videos that could be connected to the incidents.

If such footage is located, it could potentially provide additional evidence about what happened that morning and whether the encounters were planned.

POLICE NOW KNOW WHO THEY ARE LOOKING FOR

After initially asking the public to help identify the masked man, Philadelphia police announced that the suspect is Zymire Hughes, 22.

An arrest warrant has been issued.

Investigators believe Hughes may have fled Pennsylvania and said he has known ties to California and Nevada.

Philadelphia police are working with the U.S. Marshals Service in an effort to locate him and return him to Pennsylvania.

HE COULD FACE MULTIPLE CHARGES

If apprehended, Hughes could face several charges stemming from the incidents.

Police have indicated potential charges including terroristic threats, aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment, reckless endangerment and intimidation.

The precise charges will depend on the evidence prosecutors ultimately present.

Hughes has not yet had the opportunity to contest the allegations in court.

THE MASK MADE THE ENCOUNTERS EVEN MORE TERRIFYING

For the people who encountered him, the unusual mask was more than a costume.

It made an already threatening situation significantly more frightening.

A person appearing suddenly on an otherwise quiet Philadelphia street before chasing pedestrians while wearing a horror-style mask is an encounter most people would struggle to understand.

And investigators say the behavior wasn’t random in the sense of simply walking around in costume.

They believe the suspect deliberately approached people and attempted to frighten them.

POLICE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

Investigators now want to determine exactly why Hughes allegedly targeted strangers.

Was it an attempt to create viral social-media content?

Was it simply an effort to frighten people?

Or was there another motive?

Police have not publicly established a definitive motive.

They are also encouraging anyone who believes they were approached or threatened by the masked man to contact authorities.

A HORROR-MOVIE COSTUME — A REAL-WORLD INVESTIGATION

The image of a masked man running through Center City could easily be mistaken for a scene from a horror film.

But for the people who encountered him, there was nothing fictional about it.

One woman suffered a serious leg injury while trying to escape.

Others reported being chased or confronted.

And investigators now have a name attached to the man they say was responsible.

Zymire Hughes is wanted in connection with the Philadelphia incidents, but he remains an accused suspect, not a convicted offender.

The next chapter will depend on whether investigators can locate him — and what additional evidence they uncover about those unsettling minutes around City Hall.

For now, Philadelphia police are sending a simple warning:

If you encounter Hughes, do not approach him. Contact authorities immediately.