What to Know
- A dead man was found beaten and slashed inside an Algon Street home early Tuesday.
- Police say Al Chernoff was also partially tied to a bed.
- Homicide detectives are investigating the death.
Police released surveillance video of a suspect in the murder of a man who was found beaten, slashed and partially tied up in a bed inside a Northeast Philadelphia home.
A neighbor along the 8400 block of Algon Avenue in the city's Rhawnhurst section called police shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday to report a man in distress, investigators said.
Police entered the home and found 60-year-old Al Chernoff "partially tied to the bed with a massive head wound and several slashes to his chest." Chernoff was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police later released surveillance video of a suspect who they say murdered Chernoff inside his home on Monday around 10:30 p.m.
The suspect, who sources believe is a prostitute, is described as a tall and thin person with short black hair and a medium brown complexion. The suspect is wearing a black jacket, long sleeve pink top, red loose fitting sweatpants and white athletic shoes in the surveillance video. The suspect is also carrying a black backpack.
Police said the suspect was inside Chernoff's home for about an hour before leaving.
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Chernoff was well-known in the animal care community and had 11 cats as well as pet turtles and frogs. Each of the animals were placed in a local rescue group when ACCT Philly arrived at his home Tuesday.
"Al was literally like one of the best people I've ever met," Chernoff's friend, Angelo Ruffo, told NBC10. "Anything you needed he would do. He was known for building shelters for all the feral and stray cats in the city. He was a good man."
Chernoff's family said he talked about retiring from his job as a city worker at the airport. Those who knew him remembered him as a giving and loving man.
"If you have interacted with a cat rescue or helped trap in Philadelphia you've probably met him," Blake Martin of ACCT Philly told NBC10. "He was an old Army veteran who loved his motorcycles and loved his cats."
A $20,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information leading to an arrest. If you have any information on Chernoff's death or the suspect's identity, please call Philadelphia Police.
