December 07, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Two people were slashed by a bike-riding suspect on the Pennypack Trail in late November, Philadelphia police said. Investigators believe the incidents are connected.
Philadelphia police are searching for a suspect who may be behind two late-November knife attacks along the Pennypack Trail in Northeast Philly.
Investigators said Thursday that two people on the trail were slashed by a man wielding a long knife. The incidents happened two days apart and both occurred during the morning hours, police said. In both instances, the suspect had a black BMX-style bike with him.
The first incident happened around 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 22 near the 2800 block of Holme Avenue. A person on the trail told police they called out to let a cyclist know that they were approaching them from behind. The biker became enraged and pulled out a long knife, which he used to slash the person multiple times in the arms and hands, police said. The person received medical attention at Nazareth Hospital.
Then on Nov. 24 around 9 a.m., two people were approached by a cyclist riding a black bike on the 2800 block of Winchester Avenue, less than a mile away from the first incident, police said. The man on the bike attacked one of the people with a long knife, cutting his right arm and hands, investigators said. The suspect fled the scene.
After both incidents, the suspect was described as a thin man over 40 wearing dark clothing.
On Wednesday, another person told police she was walking on the trail on Nov. 25 around 8:30 a.m when she encountered a man riding a black bicycle. The man allegedly became agitated and started yelling at the woman, who ran away when she noticed he was trying to remove an unknown object that was tied to his bike. Her description of the suspect matched the accounts of the other two incidents.
Anyone with information about these events can call detectives at (215) 686-3153.
