Residents in a Delaware County community are on edge as police continue to search for a bedroom intruder who is specifically targeting young women.
“I mean this guy is truly a sicko,” said Upper Darby Police Chief Michael Chitwood. “We want to get him off the street.”
According to police, the unidentified man has broken into five Upper Darby homes since April, standing over the women inside and watching them as they sleep. Investigators also say he’s targeting girls and women between the ages of 16 and 32.
“He stands over the women until they awake,” Chitwood said. “When they awake, they’re startled. They scream and he runs out the door.”
The most recent incident took place last Thursday on Clinton Road. The 52-year-old homeowner grabbed a bat next to her bed and the man ran off. Investigators suspect the man was after the woman’s daughter.
The other incidents occurred on April 16 on the 7200 block of Guilford Road, May 1 on the 7000 block of Atlantic Avenue, June 17 on the 7100 block of Seaford Road and June 20 on the 200 block of Sheffield Road.
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During one case, investigators say a woman woke up to find the man touching her groin before he ran off. While nothing violent has happened so far, police fear that could change as long as the man remains on the loose.
“Our fear is that these could escalate into something more serious and somebody could get hurt,” Chitwood said. “We also believe that he’s probably following these women because he knows where they live and that they’re by themselves.”
Police handed out flyers to residents throughout Upper Darby on Monday, warning residents to lock their windows and doors.
Esther King, the neighbor of the woman who scared the suspect off with the bat, took things a step further and bought a surveillance camera for the front and back of her home.
“I’m ready,” King said. “If he comes here, I’m ready for him.”
The suspect is described as a slim, black male in his early 20’s standing between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 with a mustache, goatee and gap between his front teeth.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call the Upper Darby Police at 610-734-7877.
