Police are searching for a man who they said broke into a home in Philadelphia’s Manayunk neighborhood, exposed himself to a woman inside, and stole an item from her purse.
According to the Philadelphia Police Department, on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026, around 1:30 p.m., a 20-year-old woman and another person, whom police are calling a witness, were walking near Cresson Street and Grape Street after leaving a nearby pub when they saw an unknown man following closely behind them.
Police said the woman and the witness claimed they did not interact with the man, but became uncomfortable when he walked near them and quickly went into their residence.
Several minutes later, the 20-year-old woman fell asleep on the living room sofa and was later awoken at around 1:55 a.m. by an unknown man standing over her, indecently exposing himself.
Police have released surveillance video of a man whom they are searching for after he allegedly broke into a home in Philadelphia’s Manayunk neighborhood, exposed himself to a woman inside, and stole an item from her purse.
When the woman yelled for him to leave, police said the suspect left. After the suspect left the residence, the woman noticed that her purse had been moved and its contents dumped onto the floor.
Police said that, at this time, the only item that appears to be missing is $20 from the purse.
The woman believes the person inside her home was the same person who had been following her earlier that evening, according to police. The witness was upstairs on the second floor during the incident and had no interaction with the suspect.
NBC10 spoke to the victim off camera, and she believes that the suspect climbed a ladder and got into their home via a second-floor window.
Investigators describe the suspect as a middle-aged man with dark brown hair, last seen wearing a white jacket, white pants, and a white knit hat. The man is also believed to frequent the Manayunk section of Philadelphia.
Police provided an update after a man allegedly broke into a Manayunk home, exposed himself to a woman inside.
If you have any information about this crime or the suspect, you are urged to contact the police.
Neighbors in the area are concerned about the assault.
“A little scared, I feel like that’s not typical for Manayunk,” Lexis Vandermatin of Manayunk shared. “I feel pretty safe here on the weekends, especially walking home and everything, but after that, I feel like I’m definitely gonna be walking with a buddy at all times, locking my apartment doors, bolting them.”
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.