Police body camera video the NBC10 Investigators obtained reveals how authorities tracked down a man accused of terrorizing people in Philadelphia while wearing a mask.
The NBC10 Investigators obtained videos showing Las Vegas Metropolitan police assisting U.S. Marshals in the search for 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, who is accused of a series of incidents that drew widespread attention in Center City.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Zymire Hughes, 22, in Nevada on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
On Aug. 12, a man police identified as Hughes was recorded on video terrorizing several people in Center City, according to Philadelphia police.
Zymire Hughes, 22, appears in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.
Officials said Hughes, who was wearing a “Chucky doll Halloween-style facemask,” threatened a man who was crouching down with his hands up in a “pleading motion.” He was also captured on video chasing after a woman as she jogged, police said.
According to investigators, Hughes got in front of the woman while holding a phone and repeatedly asked her, “Are you ready to die?”
The woman ran away, screaming for help and injured her right hamstring and spine in the process, officials said.
In all, Hughes threatened or harassed more than 15 people in Center City that morning, according to investigators.
According to U.S. Marshals, Hughes then left Philadelphia and traveled to Las Vegas.
Before Hughes’ arrest, body camera video showed Las Vegas police entering a convenience store looking for a woman who they believed knew where he was staying.
NBC10 is not identifying the woman because she has not been charged with a crime.
A still photo of a masked man police identified as Zymire Hughes.
In the video, officers handcuff the woman and escort her outside, where they ask whether Hughes is inside a nearby apartment.
“Is Zymire inside?” an officer asks.
“Yeah,” the woman responds.
Officers then ask whether Hughes is inside the apartment, and the woman offers to have him come outside.
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Police tell the woman they want Hughes to surrender peacefully and explain that if he refuses to come outside voluntarily, authorities could seek a search warrant.
“We’re either going to have you call him and he’s going to come outside, or they’re going to go kick in the door with a search warrant,” an officer tells her.
The woman tells officers Hughes’ phone is broken and suggests she had been seeing videos about him on social media.
In another exchange, officers ask what she believes they are investigating.
NBC10’s Brian Sheehan digs deeper into the past of a man accused of terrorizing people in Center City while wearing a baby doll mask.
“Just based off what the social media is saying,” she responds.
Authorities ultimately located Hughes at the apartment complex. Video obtained by NBC10 shows him in handcuffs outside the building after his arrest.
U.S. Marshals said Hughes surrendered peacefully after more than a week on the run.
Hughes remains in custody in Nevada while Pennsylvania officials work to return him to Philadelphia to face charges.
U.S. Marshals ServiceU.S. Marshals Service
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Zymire Hughes, 22, in Nevada on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The woman seen in the body camera footage did not respond to NBC10’s request for comment regarding her connection to Hughes.
Under the extradition process, Pennsylvania has several weeks to return Hughes to the Commonwealth. If that deadline is not met, a Nevada judge could order his release from custody pending further proceedings.
Hughes is expected to face several charges, including aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and related offenses. He declined an interview request from jail.
NBC10 investigative reporter David Charns can be reached at david.charns@nbcuni.com.