A 22-year-old man, Zymire Hughes, was apprehended in Las Vegas after being accused of terrorizing several people while wearing a Chucky-style mask near Philadelphia City Hall. Authorities arrested Hughes at an apartment complex in southeast Las Vegas and he is currently held in the Clark County Detention Center. He is awaiting extradition to Philadelphia, as reported by the U.S. Marshals Service.
U.S. Marshals stated that Hughes had lived in Las Vegas since February, although he has family ties in Philadelphia. It is believed he was in Philadelphia for a few weeks before fleeing the city. According to investigators, Hughes left Philadelphia on August 19, traveling from Trenton-Mercer Airport in New Jersey to Orlando, Florida, and subsequently to Las Vegas.
“By hiding behind a Chucky-style Halloween mask, Hughes terrorized Philadelphia residents and believed he could evade law enforcement. He was wrong,” said Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force. “His arrest should send a clear message: you can hide your face, but you can’t hide from the elite investigators of the U.S. Marshal Service.”
Hughes allegedly targeted at least six individuals near City Hall in Center City, Philadelphia, on August 12. The incidents occurred over approximately 15 minutes. Police reported that Hughes approached multiple people at the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets around 5:18 a.m., attempting to scare them. A woman was reportedly asked if she was “ready to die.”
Shortly after, police said Hughes entered a Dunkin’ on the 1500 block of Chestnut Street. He was refused service because of the mask. Hughes was later seen on camera running toward people at Penn Square’s southwest corner at City Hall, around 5:25 a.m. Officers detailed that Hughes chased a man on the west side of 15th Street and confronted another woman, telling her, “Are you ready to die?” The woman ran and injured her leg as a result. After these encounters, Hughes fled to Suburban Station.
Philadelphia Police stated Hughes had a cellphone with its light on, suggesting he might have recorded the incidents. Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith previously noted these details.
Hughes faces charges including aggravated assault and terroristic threats, along with other related offenses.