Thanks to quick work and close coordination with Philadelphia Police, SEPTA Police today were able to arrest a man who tried to use the Broad Street Line to flee after stealing a woman’s purse in South Philadelphia.

Shortly before noon, Philadelphia Police received a report that a man stole a purse from a woman on the 1500 block of South Broad Street, and he was headed toward the Tasker-Morris Station. Philadelphia Police notified SEPTA Police, who quickly found video of the suspect boarding a southbound train. A short time later, SEPTA Police intercepted the suspect at City Hall Station, where he was positively identified as the robbery suspect. The woman’s purse was recovered. Images from SEPTA surveillance cameras of the suspect and the arrest are attached.

SEPTA has a network of over 31,000 surveillance cameras covering its stations and vehicles. When criminal incidents occur on or near the system, SEPTA Police and its law enforcement partners use these resources to investigate and find the individuals responsible.

SEPTA Police continue to urge customers to contact them with any concerns. If there is an emergency, customers should immediately call 911. There are also emergency call boxes at all stations and on vehicles.

Customers can also discretely report incidents through the SEPTA Transit Watch App. Incidents reported to the Transit Watch App go immediately to a police dispatcher for response and to gather additional information. The Transit Watch App is available for iPhone and Android devices. For more information, please go to https://wwww.septa.org/safety/security/.