Masked man who terrorized Philadelphians arrested in Las Vegas, police say

Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times on Aug 26, 2026

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A man who allegedly terrorized Philadelphia residents while wearing a creepy Halloween mask has been arrested in Las Vegas.

Zymire Hughes, 22, is being held in Clark County jail, with a court hearing scheduled for Thursday morning. He is wanted in Pennsylvania on multiple charges, including aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.

In just one of multiple incidents the Philadelphia district attorney’s office said have been reported, Hughes allegedly approached a woman Aug. 12 while wearing the mask and, holding one arm behind his back, asked her if she was “ready to die.” The woman ran, and he chased after her. Her spine and hamstring were injured in the course of the chase, the district attorney’s office said.

“We take it very seriously any time someone thinks it is funny or entertaining to terrorize and harass individuals in any neighborhood,” Dist. Atty. Larry Krasner said. “He will be caught and held accountable for his crimes.”

At one point, there were concerns that Hughes could be headed to Los Angeles, with Philadelphia police Capt. Jason Smith telling a local outlet last week that Hughes “has a tendency to travel back and forth to the West Coast, California, the L.A. area, but also Las Vegas.”

Officers with the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force arrested Hughes after tracking him down to a southeast Las Vegas apartment, Robert Clark, a U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy, said at a news conference.

“Tonight, the fear that one man brought to the Philadelphia community comes to an end,” Clark said.

The Marshals Service determined Hughes had been a Las Vegas resident since February. He fled Pennsylvania on Aug. 19, Clark said, flying to Orlando and then to Las Vegas.

The next day, when the story of him terrorizing residents hit the news, Hughes moved to an apartment in southeast Las Vegas, where he “hunkered down” for five days, Clark said. Marshals started to surveil the apartment building Tuesday and, around 8 p.m., knocked on the apartment door, Clark said. Hughes came out and gave himself up, though he later tried to get out of his handcuffs and had to be subdued, Clark said.

“He was not a happy man being brought into custody,” Clark said.