Who is Zymire Hughes? Philly police identify 'Chucky' masked man accused of terrorizing City Hall area

Philadelphia police have identified 22-year-old Zymire Hughes as the masked man who chased and threatened people near City Hall.

Updated on: Aug 20, 2026, 23:47:36 IST

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A masked man allegedly turned an early morning walk through Philadelphia’s Center City into a frightening situation, chasing and threatening several people before police identified 22-year-old Zymire Hughes as the suspect.

Who is Zymire Hughes

Philadelphia police identified a masked man who they say harassed, chased and threatened several people near City Hall, including a woman he allegedly asked if she was “ready to die.”

On Thursday, August 20, police identified the suspect as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, as per NBC News. Investigators said there is a warrant for his arrest. They also said he may have fled Pennsylvania and has ties to California and Nevada.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Hughes, police announced on Thursday.

What happened near City Hall

The incident took place over a 15-minute span in the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 12, according to Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith.

The suspect, who Capt. Smith said was wearing a "Chucky doll Halloween-style facemask," was first spotted on 15th and Chestnut streets that morning at 5:18am local time. Police said he was running up to people trying to scare or antagonize them while holding a cellphone in his hand, indicating he was filming his actions, as per NBC News.

Capt. Smith said there are believed to be at least six people that the suspect was running up to and "attempting to scare or antagonize" while wearing a "distinctive Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask," as per ABC News.

(This is a developing story)

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