The attacks happened within the past two weeks.
The first assault happened just after 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 14th in the 1400 block of Flora Street.
Police say a 25-year-old woman was returning to her home from a bar in a taxi and asked to be dropped off at Broad Street and Fairmount.
As the woman was walking on Broad Street, police say an unknown man approached her and offered to show her a shortcut to her home.
The two ended up in a vacant lot where the man forced the woman to the ground, choked her and then raped her. He also stole $283.
The second attack happened on Saturday, November 20th between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on the 1600 block of Brandywine Street. The 26-year-old victim was also coming home from a bar in a taxi.
As she was walking home, her attacker came up from behind, struck her in the back of the head and said "give me your money."
The woman punched the man and tried to flee but the man was able to catch her.
He then forced her to the ground and raped her before fleeing. He stole $100 from her purse.
In the first attack, the suspect was described as a black man in his mid-20's standing about 5'8" tall. He had a light complexion, wore a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a black baseball cap. Police say he identified himself as "Darryl" or "Derrick."
In the second attack, the suspect was described as a black man in his late 20's or early 30's, about 5'8" tall with a long beard. He wore blue jeans, a dark-colored jacket and black gloves.
Police believe the cases are connected because both victims were returning home from bars by taxi when they were raped. Furthermore, there were similar descriptions of the attacker who used physical force and stole cash.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Philadelphia Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251 or 215-685-3265. You can also dial 911.
