Man who met Greensburg girl on TikTok bought her an Uber to Philadelphia and sexually assaulted her, police say
A Philadelphia man is facing a slew of charges, including kidnapping, trafficking and indecent assault, after investigators said he bought an Uber for a 13-year-old Greensburg girl he met on TikTok and sexually assaulted her when she got to his apartment.
Greensburg police said the investigation began on March 14 when a mom reported her 13-year-old daughter had run away. The mom said her daughter had written a note that said, "I promise I'm safe, and please don't look for me."
Police found the girl after they pinged her phone in Philadelphia.
After picking her daughter up, the girl's mother told police that she believed her daughter had met an older man, 19-year-old Angel Lopez, on TikTok and that he had convinced the 13-year-old to sneak out of her house in the early morning hours of March 14 and take an Uber he was paying for from Greensburg to Philadelphia.
According to the criminal complaint, when investigators interviewed the victim, she explained that her relationship with Lopez turned sexual when he asked her to send him explicit pictures. She said she had second thoughts about traveling to Philadelphia, but whenever she expressed her doubts, he told her that if she didn't go through with the trip, he'd kill himself.
The victim told police Lopez started to make sexual advances towards her in the elevator ride to his apartment. She said once inside, Lopez told her to turn off her phone, gave her a weed pen and made her shower before having sex with her.
The victim told investigators that she was "extremely uncomfortable and disgusted," and while Lopez was assaulting her, she pulled out strands of her hair and left them in his bedroom, hoping they'd be found later. She said she wanted to leave, but Lopez told her, "They won't be able to find you anyways."
Police said she was eventually able to escape when she heard voices outside Lopez's apartment. She said she thought that if Lopez tried to chase her, the bystanders would see and call police.
Lopez is facing several charges, including kidnapping, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16, unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault, interference with custody of children and corruption of minors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'This is a culture': TikTok murder highlights Pakistan's unease with women online
Since seeing thousands of comments justifying the recent murder of a teenage TikTok star in Pakistan, Sunaina Bukhari is considering abandoning her 88,000 followers. "In my family, it wasn't an accepted profession at all, but I'd managed to convince them, and even ended up setting up my own business," she said. Then last week, Sana Yousaf was shot dead outside her house in the capital Islamabad by a man whose advances she had repeatedly rejected, police said. News of the murder led to an outpouring of comments under her final post -- her 17th birthday celebration where she blew out the candles on a cake. In between condolence messages, some blamed her for her own death: "You reap what you sow" or "it's deserved, she was tarnishing Islam". Yousaf had racked up more than a million followers on social media, where she shared her favourite cafes, skincare products and traditional shalwar kameez outfits. TikTok is wildly popular in Pakistan, in part because of its accessibility to a population with low literacy levels. On it, women have found both audience and income, rare in a country where fewer than a quarter of the women participate in the formal economy. But as TikTok's views have surged, so have efforts to police the platform. Pakistani telecommunications authorities have repeatedly blocked or threatened to block the app over what it calls "immoral behaviour", amid backlash against LGBTQ and sexual content. TikTok has pledged to better moderate content and blocked millions of videos that do not meet its community guidelines as well as at the request of Pakistan authorities. After Yousaf's murder, Bukhari, 28, said her family no longer backs her involvement in the industry. "I'm the first influencer in my family, and maybe the last," she told AFP. - 'Fear of being judged' - Only 30 percent of women in Pakistan own a smartphone compared to twice as many men (58 percent), the largest gap in the world, according to the Mobile Gender Gap Report of 2025. "Friends and family often discourage them from using social media for fear of being judged," said a statement from the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF). In southwestern Balochistan, where tribal law governs many rural areas, a man confessed to orchestrating the murder of his 14-year-old daughter earlier this year over TikTok videos that he said compromised her honour. In October, police in Karachi, in the south, announced the arrest of a man who had killed four women relatives over "indecent" TikTok videos. These murders each revive memories of Qandeel Baloch, dubbed Pakistan's Kim Kardashian and one of the country's first breakout social media stars whose videos shot her to fame. After years in the spotlight, she was suffocated by her brother. Violence against women is pervasive in Pakistan, according to the country's Human Rights Commission, and cases of women being attacked after rejecting men are not uncommon. "This isn't one crazy man, this is a culture," said Kanwal Ahmed, who leads a closed Facebook group of 300,000 women to share advice. "Every woman in Pakistan knows this fear. Whether she's on TikTok or has a private Instagram with 50 followers, men show up. In her DMs. In her comments. On her street," she wrote in a post. In the fifth-most-populous country in the world, where 60 percent of the population is under the age of 30,the director of digital rights organisation Bolo Bhi, Usama Khilji,says "many women don't post their profile picture, but a flower, an object, very rarely their face". "The misogyny and the patriarchy that is prevalent in this society is reflected on the online spaces," he added. A 22-year-old man was arrested over Yousaf's murder and is due to appear in court next week. At a vigil in the capital last week, around 80 men and women gathered, holding placards that read "no means no". "Social media has given us a voice, but the opposing voices are louder," said Hira, a young woman who joined the gathering. The capital's police chief, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, used a press conference to send a "clear message" to the public. "If our sisters or daughters want to become influencers, professionally or as amateurs, we must encourage them," he said. jma/sbh/ecl/lb
Miami Herald
21 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Cop accused of harassing Uber driver over immigrant status & 5 more legal cases
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. From accusations of mistreatment in prisons to fraud to sexual abuse and beyond, here are some of the latest from across the country. Puppy too young to bark is shot dead by Louisiana cop, suit says. Trial begins In New Orleans, a federal jury trial has started in a civil case where the owners of a puppy say a police officer fatally shot their dog, Apollo, who was too young to bark. The lawsuit says the officer, Derrick Burmaster, shot the puppy during a noise complaint visit. Apollo's owners are seeking damages for civil rights violations. The trial began on June 9. | Published June 9 | Read More School teacher tries arranging sex acts with 9-year-old in Florida, feds say In Florida, a third-grade teacher named Lee Hughes is accused of trying to arrange sex acts with a 9-year-old girl, according to federal prosecutors. Hughes was arrested in an undercover sting operation and now faces federal child exploitation charges, including attempted enticement of a minor, prosecutors say. He was ordered to be detained ahead of his trial, court records show. | Published June 10 | Read More Wrong woman was strip searched 3 times, held in AZ cell overnight, lawsuit says In Arizona, Penny McCarthy says she was wrongfully detained and strip-searched three times after being mistaken for a fugitive. McCarthy has filed a lawsuit against multiple U.S. Marshals Service employees, saying her arrest was a mistake and violated her rights. McCarthy is seeking damages for the ordeal. | Published June 11 | Read More Man smuggling exotic protected birds in cardboard box is detained in CA, feds say In California, Juandaniel Medina is accused of smuggling seven exotic, protected birds into the U.S. from Mexico. The birds, found in a cardboard box in Medina's car, are protected under international law, according to federal prosecutors. Medina faces charges of illegal trafficking. Prosecutors say this is part of a 'troubling pattern' of wildlife trafficking through Southern California. | Published June 11 | Read More Mail carrier finds toddler lifeless at DC home, feds say. Now, mom is convicted In Washington, D.C., Faneshia Scott has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her 16-month-old daughter, Rhythm Fields. Prosecutors say Scott's daughter was found lifeless and had suffered multiple blunt force injuries. Scott is scheduled for sentencing in August, court records show. | Published June 12 | Read More Cop harasses Uber driver living legally in CA due to immigrant status, suit says In San Diego, Abdulkadir Bulgaz is suing the city and a police officer over harassment during an alleged illegal traffic stop while Bulgaz was working as an Uber driver. Bulgaz, a Turkish immigrant living legally in California, according to the federal lawsuit, says the officer illegally seized his driver's license. The lawsuit says the incident is part of a larger pattern of discrimination against immigrants by the San Diego Police Department. | Published June 13 | Read More McClatchy News continues to follow lawsuits and legal cases from around the country. Check back for more legal stories.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Anti-Israel Protesters Sue NYPD, Leave Out Bomb Scare
Two women busted during a chaotic anti-Israel protest in Times Square — where cops were infamously blocked from reaching a grenade left in an Uber — are suing the NYPD, whining they were injured during their arrests. Jasmeen Nijjar and Anees Hasnain filed separate lawsuits last week in Manhattan Supreme Court, accusing officers of assault, unlawful search and seizure, false arrest and denial of medical care during the raucous March 2, 2024 'Millions March for Palestine' rally. Hasnain, 33, a program director at a non-profit, claims she was punched in the face by an NYPD detective and cuffed while still wearing a backpack — which she says caused 'heavy pressure' on her wrists. 5 The March 2024 protest in Times Square led to dozens of arrests — including Anees Hasnain and Jasmeen Nijjar, who now allege NYPD officers used excessive force and denied them medical care during and after they were taken into custody. Adam Gray for New York Post An officer placed her phone in a plastic bag with 'pooled water,' destroying it, she claimed in court papers Nijjar, 31, a course associate at Columbia University and a NYC-based social worker, was dragged by her scarf and jacket, punched in the back of the head and zip-tied so tightly that her left hand was injured, the filing states. Her LinkedIn profile now lists 'Free Palestine' in her title. The filings make no mention of the explosive drama that drew a heavy police presence to the scene. 5 The lawsuits don't mention the grenade discovered in an Uber nearby — or that the NYPD said their response to the explosive device was obstructed by protesters. Adam Gray for New York Post An Uber driver had discovered a grenade in the back seat of his Nissan Altima and flagged down officers near 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. Police later determined the device was inert — but said protesters delayed the bomb squad's response by blocking the roadway and surrounding emergency vehicles. 'Happy Saturday to all! Except the people who thought it was a good idea to block an NYPD ESU vehicle on the way to a bomb threat call,' then-NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted after the incident. 'They will be spending their Saturday where they belong – in jail!' Video released by the NYPD shows dozens of demonstrators swarming a police vehicle before officers pushed them back. 5 The 'Millions March for Palestine' protest brought thousands to Times Square and shut down blocks of Midtown as tensions between demonstrators and police escalated. Adam Gray for New York Post The suit claims officers used 'discourteous and racist language' and refused to get her medical help despite repeated requests. Both women allege they were denied phone calls, unlawfully searched at NYPD headquarters and held for hours before being released with desk appearance tickets, according to the lawsuit. Both women were issued desk appearance tickets but never formally charged. Prosecutors later declined to pursue the cases. 5 Police shut down 42nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues as emergency units tried to reach the car with the grenade, while protesters continued to pack the surrounding blocks. Adam Gray for New York Post The lawsuits name multiple officers — including Capt. Gzim Palaj, Officer Vito Scalici and Detective Craig A. Jacob — and seek unspecified damages. The lawsuits make no mention of the grenade incident — or any alleged interference with police response. The NYPD declined to comment on ongoing litigation. Attorneys for the women also did not return messages. 5 Hasnain and Nijjar say they were issued desk appearance tickets and released the night of the protest. They claimed officers assaulted them and that their detention was unlawful, according to the legal papers. Adam Gray for New York Post
