'Ready to die?': Man in 'Chucky' mask terrorizes Center City Philadelphia

A masked man wearing a Chucky doll disguise was seen on camera targeting several people, with six near City Center Philadelphia reporting the strange behavior. One of the instances included a woman who was out for a morning run when police say that the masked man asked her if she was “ready to die."

Authorities believe the suspect is a black male around 16 to 20 years old. He reportedly caused a series of incidents over the span of 15 minutes early Wednesday morning near City Hall before disappearing. Police are still searching for the suspect.

According to Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith, the suspect entered a Dunkin Donuts shortly after 5:20 am while wearing a “distinctive, Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask.” Employees refused to serve him because of his unusual and erratic behavior, Smith explained during a news conference on Monday.

Video that was released by the police shows the masked man chasing a woman on a jog on Wednesday at around 5:30 am.

"He was holding his cellphone in front of her, at which point he asked her, 'Are you ready to die?'" Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said, per ABC6.

Smith said she immediately ran away, injuring her leg as she tried to escape while “screaming for help.”

After leaving the restaurant, the suspect allegedly approached several people in the surrounding area. Police say he appeared to be recording the encounters on his cellphone. At one point, he reportedly said something to a man wearing a reflective vest and then pursued him.

Police say the suspect could face charges including terroristic threats, harassment, assault, reckless endangerment and intimidation. Smith also said authorities intend to pursue a weapons-related charge because the suspect reportedly kept his right arm behind his back while making the threat.

A witness named Jameka said she noticed what was happening and attempted to alert the female jogger confronted by the masked man. “I started to wave at her from across the intersection and say, ‘Hey there’s someone behind you, look behind you,’” she told reporters.

Jameka said she confronted the masked man herself and kicked him in the chest. “He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were. I had bags; he wasn’t reaching for those,” she explained.

She added that the man's behavior did not appear focused on entering La Colombe, a nearby coffee shop, for any obvious reason. “It didn’t seem like he had a clear goal to like actually get in La Colombe [a coffee shop] to do anything, so I was like OK, well, let’s see if you can fight, and he couldn’t.”

Police continue to search for the suspect. Smith emphasized that investigators are determined to identify and apprehend him, saying, "This happened right outside of City Hall, so you think we're not going to do our darndest to try and locate this individual?"