Fishtown residents on alert after 2 assaults in their Philadelphia neighborhood
Students at a school in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood headed back to class Tuesday for the first time since receiving a warning about a child being inappropriately touched on the way to school.
Philadelphia police were notified by AMY at James Martin that the 13-year-old girl was walking on the 1500 block of East Montgomery Avenue shortly after 8 a.m. on March 28 when a man bear hugged her from behind. They say she then screamed, prompting the man to run off.
The girl's parent was immediately notified by the school and students' families were notified in a letter from the school on Friday.
"We understand that this incident is alarming and may cause some anxiety for those within our school community," the letter said in part.
It went on to share safety recommendations: to encourage students to walk to school with a friend or family member, always report seeing or hearing suspicious activity and walk in well-lit and high-traffic areas.
School District of Philadelphia schools were closed Monday for Eid-al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
Philadelphia police said the Special Victims Unit is also investigating another incident that happened nearby and could involve the same suspect.
In the other incident, a 36-year-old woman said a male suspect approached her from behind and pinched her while she was putting her son in her car on the 1500 block of Palmer Street, according to police. That happened around 9:30 a.m. on March 25.
"It's scary," said Samantha Milligan, who lives in Fishtown. "It's a scary world we are living in, and I never thought this was going to happen, never ... when I was growing up."
People in the neighborhood on Tuesday said they plan to be extra vigilant.
