Residents claim window washer harassing elderly in South Philadelphia

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police are warning neighbors in one South Philadelphia community to beware of a man who has been trying to rip off residents.

Police have been distributing a bulletin to neighbors along the 100 block of McKean Street after a man has been going around painting addresses on curbs and washing windows without permission, then demanding payment.

Joan Donnelly says she was sitting on her couch Wednesday evening when a man walked in her house and started cleaning her front door windows.

She says, "I was thinking, 'Who the hell is he?' You just walk in. I'm like, who does he know?"

The 78-year-old told the guy she didn't want her windows cleaned, but he continued anyway.

"'I only take $5... You only give me $5.' He said it a couple of times. And I said, 'I don't want it,'" Donnelly explained.

Her daughter heard the conversation. Alarmed, her husband rushed to the home from around corner and snapped a photo of the guy as he fled.

We are not showing his face because he hasn't been charged with a crime.

Alyse Donnelly, Joan's granddaughter, tells us, "He targets the elderly. He comes a couple times a week. My grandmother has a little problem remembering things, so he wants $5 here, 5 bucks there. He'll say 'you promised me, you promised me.' They don't remember saying yes or no and they give him the $5."

Police interviewed Joan Donnelly today and also went door to door dropping off the bulletin warning about the window washing guy and those who solicit door to door.

The message from police: you need permission to work, to get paid.

Alyse Donnelly also has a message: "Stop. Leave our neighborhood alone. We don't need you to wash our windows. We can wash our own windows and leave the elderly alone."

Police say they know who this guy is. They want to talk to him, but at this point they don't know if anything criminal has occurred.