2 women fear armed robber is targeting their neighborhood: 'He threatened my daughter'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two women who live in Germantown worry that an armed robber is targeting their Philadelphia neighborhood near Pulaski Avenue. They believe the same man attacked them and targeted a 13-year-old, too.

"All of the sudden there was a guy in front of me with my daughter in a chokehold with a knife to her throat," said one neighbor who asked that we not share her name.

She said it happened while she and her daughter were washing their car in the driveway of their home around 3 p.m. on Friday, May 19. She said a man wearing all black grabbed her daughter and threatened her with a knife.

"I still had the garden hose in my hand and I sprayed him right in the face with my garden hose. It was enough for my daughter to break herself free," she said.

But that seemed to make the man, described as being in his 20s, angry. He went after the woman, knocked her down and began beating her leaving bruising all over her face.

"I have facial fractures," she said.

She said the man demanded money before running off empty-handed. Police arrived and obtained surveillance video of a suspect and are investigating.

But the attack reminded the woman of a similar incident across the street in February.

"I felt someone's hand dig into my shoulder," said Elizabeth Reilly, who was walking to her front door in February. "I looked down and his arm went up with a very large butcher knife blade."

The man took her purse and got away. She believes the same man who robbed her attacked the woman and daughter across the street.

Both are concerned that he could strike again.

"He threatened my daughter. I believe that if you're doing that, drawing children into it with dangerous weapons, you're very dangerous," the woman who was attacked said.

Police confirmed they are investigating. They have not released any details on a suspect.