Police: Man breaks into apartment, rapes 6-year-old girl in Hatfield Township

HATFIELD TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- A man has been accused of breaking into a Montgomery County apartment and raping a 6-year-old girl in her bedroom.

Police have charged 28-year-old Oscar Rivera Herrera with Rape, Rape of a Child, Statutory Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault, Indecent Assault, Burglary, Criminal Trespass, and related offenses.

Police were called to the Hatfield Village Apartments in Hatfield Township on Monday around 4:00 a.m. for the report of a burglary in progress.

During his interview with police, Herrera admitted he entered the apartment through a living room window.

Court documents reveal the 6-year-old was woken up by an adult male who was behind her; he threatened to harm her and her family and told her to shut up.

The 6-year-old's cries begging Herrera to "stop" and asking "why are you doing this?" are what alerted her 11-year-old brother who was sleeping in the bunk below to sprint to his parents' room for help.

The 11-year-old boy called police and told them a man broke into his family's apartment and may have done "something" to his younger sister.

"Certainly from the details provided by both children and it's quite clear from the evidence that this individual engaged in terrible acts with the child," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said.

Herrera claimed to police he didn't realize there was a child in the top bunk until her mother came in and grabbed out her of bed.

According to police, the girl's step-father held him down until officers arrived.

"I have to give great credit to this 11-year-old boy who had the courage to step up and help his sister and great courage to the family for the restraint that they exercised in what I could only imagine was absolute harrowing circumstance," Ferman said.

The DA office says this was random and Herrera had not targeted the 6-year-old, though he did admit to breaking into the same unit months earlier when no was inside.

He was arraigned Monday night and bail was set at $1,000,000.

Anyone with information on Herrera should contact Hatfield Township Police Department at 215-855-0900.