20-year-old man charged with rape following assault at South Philly SEPTA station
Namir Thomas, 20, is charged with rape, robbery and other related crimes, according to the DA's office.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man has been charged with rape in connection to a sexual assault that took place at a SEPTA station earlier this week, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
Namir Thomas, 20, is charged with rape, robbery and other related crimes.
Authorities said the alleged crimes happened around 4:30 a.m. Monday at the platform of the Snyder station on the 2100 block of Broad Street.
The 40-year-old female victim told police she was with a 46-year-old boyfriend at the platform when they were approached by the suspect who was armed with a gun.
Police said the suspect held the gun at the victim's back and then pointed it at the boyfriend. He then proceeded to sexually assault the victim.
"He pointed the gun at the boyfriend and put the gun at the back of our survivor and proceeded to demand sex," said Captain James Kearney with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Police said video shows the boyfriend holding up his hands while the assault was taking place.
After the incident, police said the suspect rode off on a bicycle.
The couple then called 911.
Authorities said tips from the public helped Philadelphia police quickly identify the suspect and bring him into custody.
SEPTA released the following statement to Action News on safety and security following the incident:
"SEPTA knows that riders have concerns about safety and security on the system, and we are addressing them. We are working to increase the visibility of police officers on the system and are actively recruiting new candidates to the SEPTA Transit Police Department. Last month, SEPTA reached an agreement with the Fraternal Order of Transit Police on salary increases that will help with efforts to recruit and retain talented officers.
"In addition to traditional policing, SEPTA has added social workers to help connect members of the vulnerable population with housing and medical services. There are also new outreach specialists deployed on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines to reinforce the rules for riding and serve as eyes and ears for SEPTA Police. When there is an incident on the system, police have access to video from more than 28,000 cameras to aid in investigations and identify offenders."
