A man who was caught on camera posing as a charity worker asking for money was later accused of exposing himself to kids he lured away from their home. NBC10’s Lili Zheng spoke with neighbors about what happened.
Philadelphia police have arrested a man accused of posing as a charity worker and exposing himself to children.
Leroy Taylor, 51, was arrested Friday in connection to a March 11 incident in the city’s Rhawnhurst section, police announced. A neighbor provided NBC10 video from home surveillance showing Taylor on her front porch with a collection bin.
“I won’t be long, dear. My name is Leroy, I volunteer for an organization called Raymond House in Philadelphia,” Taylor said in the video. “The Raymond House program assists women and children. Right now, we’re trying to raise funds for food and clothing at this time.”
Two children accompanying Taylor are also seen on surveillance.
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“What’s your name again, sir?” he asked. “You’re a very handsome young man.”
Some time after, Philadelphia police allege Taylor exposed himself to the kids near Castor Avenue. The mother of the two kids told NBC10, Taylor was at their door not long before the incident when her children were outside playing.
“I opened the door and he said, 'I’m from this charity company and I would like to see if you could donate something. It’s a charity for kids that don’t have clothes or food, money for food,'” she recalled. “I said, ‘Not right now. There’s a lot going on.’ The baby was not quiet, so my son said, ‘Let’s go see, maybe someone else can donate money.’”
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Not immediately realizing her kids left with him, she said she ran back outside to call for her son
“I was upset, because it was my responsibility to watch over them. They were on my time,” she said. “He [Taylor] said ‘I showed you mine’. He said ‘Let me see yours.’ He [her son] said, 'we don’t do that.' He said the same thing to my daughter, she said 'we don’t do that.'”
According to the children’s mother, a neighbor happened to come outside of their home during the incident which may have scared the suspect off. She said her children told their father, who immediately contacted police.
“I just want him [Taylor] to know justice and what’s wrong and what’s right, the difference,” she said. “To come to the realization what he was doing was wrong.”
Pete Feehan lives in the neighborhood and said the incident has made neighbors look out for each other even more.
“I have a three year old. It’s disgusting, is what it is. It’s horrible and we shouldn’t have to deal with it,” Feehan said. “I just express to them when strangers come around, yell out ‘Mr. Pete!’ I’ll come running right out. Again, we’re even more looking out for our children now just because of that.”
Taylor has been charged with contact with a minor, corruption of minors, indecent exposure, and open lewdness.
The incident is being investigated by the Special Victims Unit.
