iradiophilly | News - Man Arrested for Center City Macy's Rape; Springsteen DWI Case Settled; Underground Fire

Streaming Radio for Philadelphia
More Music. Fewer Interruptions. Just what you want to hear.

FOLLOW:

News
Talk about what's in the news


The Post

Man Arrested for Center City Macy's Rape; Springsteen DWI Case Settled; Underground Fire

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 02/24/21 4:01 pm | updated: 02/24/21 4:01 pm

Philadelphia Police have arrested 22-year-old Jaleel Uqdah for the rape of a woman inside a bathroom at the Center City Macy's store on Sunday morning, 2/21. He was arrested around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, 2/24, at his home on the 1200 block of North 53rd Street in West Philadelphia. Uqdah is charged with charged with rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and related charges. The attack happened around 11:30 a.m. at the department store on the 1300 block of Market Street. Uqdah was waiting in a third-floor woman's bathroom for about 20 minutes before the 55-year-old victim entered. He jumped into her stall and pulled her into another stall. He then stole $60-80 cash from the woman before sexually assaulting her. Uqdah immediately fled and took the Market-Frankford El home. Police released surveillance footage of the suspect.

According to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Uqdah is already facing two other cases. He is charged with burglary and related offenses allegedly breaking into a Family Dollar store on June 2, 2020. He is also charged with theft and related offenses for an incident with a SEPTA cashier on August 1, 2019.

"This is the kind of crime that tears apart society. Its terrible message to women is that they are not safe in society or in their daily lives. My heart goes out to the survivor of this attack, who deserves our gratitude and admiration for immediately having the courage to tell her story to her spouse and to police. This survivor is courageously making women safer from similar crimes in the future," District Attorney Larry Krasner said. "We will vigorously and justly prosecute Mr. Uqdah for this terrible crime as well as the two other offenses. Our prosecution of Mr. Uqdah will also say that women must be and will be safe from similar crimes in the future. We are seeking to hold Mr. Uqdah in custody without bail pre-trial because of the extreme danger he presents to the community. We do not want Mr. Uqdah to be able to buy his freedom before trial with any amount of money."

SEE ALSO: Suspect Wanted in Philly Macy's Rape - Video
SEE ALSO: Philly Macy's Rape

New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen appeared by video in federal court on Wednesday in connection to his November DWI arrest at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, NJ. He was charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, and consuming alcohol in a closed area for the incident that occurred in November 2020. 71-year-old Springsteen pled guilty to one count of consuming alcohol in a closed area. Sandy Hook is a federal property and alcohol is banned. The other two charges were dropped by the government. He has to pay a fine of $500 and $40 court fee.

"Mr. Springsteen is pleased with the outcome of today's court appearance," his lawyer Mitch Ansell said after the hearing. "The prosecutor was unable to provide the necessary evidence and facts as it related to the charge of Driving under the Influence (DUI) and Reckless Driving and therefore, dismissed both of those charges. Mr Springsteen, who has no previous criminal record of any kind, voluntarily plead guilty to a violation of consuming an alcoholic beverage in a closed area, agreeing to a fine of $500. We want to thank the Court and will have no further comment at this time."

SEE ALSO: Bruce Springsteen DWI Arrest

An underground fire in Center City caused traffic and electrical problems on Wednesday morning. It happened around 6:30 a.m. at SEPTA's Walnut-Locust Station, near 16th and Walnut Streets. An underground transformer caught fire sending smoke up through man hole covers. The Philadelphia Fire Department and PECO responded to the scene. The fire was extinguished and power was restored to most customers by mid morning.