The suspected masked menace who is accused of terrorizing women around the streets of Philadelphia last week is actively trying to avoid law enforcement, officials said Thursday.
Now, they're asking people to be on the lookout for him as he may have fled from Pennsylvania.
Zymire Hughes, 22, has an active warrant out for his arrest, misdemeanor charges for the Aug. 12 incident, he said.
Surveillance cameras allegedly show Hughes running up to people in the city. A Dunkin' Donuts refused him service because he was wearing the mask.
In one shot captured on video, a victim appears to crouch down with his hands up and apparently pleads for their life, Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.
"It's readily apparent that this individual is certainly in fear of their life," Smith said.
Hughes proceeded to walk along the street and harassed more than a dozen other pedestrians, police said. He then chased down a woman who was on her way to an early morning workout class.
However, Jameka Wilson, a 25-year-old Philadelphia-based actress, recalled the moment when she defended herself while speaking to Fox News Digital.
"He seemed surprised that I had turned around initially," she said. "I saw his head tilt from side-to-side, like [he's] trying to figure out what he's supposed to be doing in the scenario."
"Essentially, what he did in defense terms was that he opened up all of the lines of attack that I could possibly make to him," she added.
Smith said he believes Hughes acted out for social media content, given that he didn't actually harm anyone, either for "his own sick personal amusement" or to possibly monetize it.
"There wasn't an attempt by himself to lay hands on anyone," Smith said. "He didn't brandish any weapon, although in the case of the jogger, he did have his right arm behind his back, implying that he had a weapon. but at no point in time did he furnish a weapon."
Investigators have so far identified three social media accounts connected to Hughes, authorities said.
As far hs whereabouts, Hughes "has a tendency" to travel to unspecified locations on the West Coast for employment, authorities said.
Police say Hughes has connections to California and Nevada.
They describe him as a Black male with a medium complexion, 5-foot-8, thin build, wearing a white Chucky-style Halloween mask with black hair, and a black/blue plaid backpack.
Krasner warned potential copycats who were thinking of imitating Hughes' behavior.
"There is nobody in the world who should be trying to imitate what this scared man who's running is doing," he said. "Now he's a punk. I mean, that's the bottom line. He's a punk who scared a lot of people for no good reason, and we're not going to tolerate it."