Police say that there have been no robberies similar to this one in the area. A stranger approached a couple who were sitting on their porch near 50th and Osage last night, about 4:10 p.m., threatened them with a gun and robbed them. Here’s what one of the victims wrote. She calls the robber “a scam artist.”
On Friday evening at 4:10 p.m. a man came onto our porch at 50th st and Osage. He claimed something was happening in the neighborhood and we needed to know about it, he seemed friendly… later he “admitted” he was sent to hurt my boyfriend and he wanted to be paid off. He threatened both of us with a gun. He then led my boyfriend to an ATM and demanded $100. He got it. He was about 5’8″, dark skin, jaundice yellow eyes, buzz cut, round features. He was between 35-40yrs old with a gut. He wore a yellow polo. He was very calm, collected, manipulative, and convincing. He sat on our porch and smoked our cigarettes while threatening us. I want everyone to be warned…
The couple alerted their neighbors about this incident and would like to warn everyone to be careful when answering your door to strangers or to go inside if you’re on your porch and see any suspicious behavior.
August 25th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
man-oh-man. I am very careful (my husband would say paranoid) about what we have with us when hanging out on our porch. (No laptops, etc.). But, in this case, even just sitting out there is enough. This is one case where I really did not want to be right. So sorry that this happened to you.
August 25th, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Hope they called the police.
August 26th, 2012 at 9:09 am
This sounds just like the man who came up to my house and tried to rob me. This was in 2009, at 49th and walnut. He fits this exact description, except he very strongly reeked of alcohol. He rang my doorbell and very calmly and casually explained that he needed $40 because his “boss” sent him to collect the money or he would have to come back with his “boss” and harm us, although he didn’t have a gun. The $40 he needed was supposedly a “drug debt” from the previous tenants that now we were responsible for (?). I never believed for a second that he had a “boss” or there was a debt – me and my housemate wound up standing with him at our door for 20 minutes, us explaining we weren’t the old tenants. We’re transgender and he wasn’t sure of our genders so he “casually” groped my housemates chest to try to figure out her gender. We bargained him down to $20 because he wouldn’t leave and we didn’t have bars on our windows.
August 26th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
there have been other recent instances of folks getting robbed while seated on their porches, stairs and using their laptops. this sounds different, but everyone should be aware.
if it can be stolen, it will be stolen.
August 26th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
He made someone walk at gunpoint from 50th and Osage to an ATM in broad daylight? That would be a couple of blocks — a strange detail to the story.
August 27th, 2012 at 9:24 am
How do they called this ”westphilly local” where it’s only talking about places in West Philly where white people live? This city amazes me when those areas where majority black 20 30 years ago nobody show any intrest in it, now they starting to move back to the city and change the name of West Philly to this university city, walnut hill where do they come up with this stuff? SMH
August 27th, 2012 at 9:36 am
I’m very sorry this took place; be careful out there everyone!
WEST PHILLY: I’m not really feeling the basis of your complaint. I live right at 50th & Osage. I’m black and plenty of my neighbors are too.
August 27th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Come on now you know and I know that the area you live in is changing slowly but surely, it isn’t what it use to be and you know that
August 27th, 2012 at 9:43 am
We live in a wonderful, diverse area of Philadelphia. My block has been racially integrated for decades. I appreciate information like this post that can help all residents in the neighborhood be aware of what’s going on. West Philly is a huge area made up of lots of smaller neighborhoods. If the neighborhood names University City and Walnut Hill are objectionable, what else could the website be called anyway?
August 27th, 2012 at 9:52 am
Considering Walnut Hill Community Association just had its 50th anniversary, I would take everything “WEST PHILLY” says with a giant grain of salt though it is fun to see area “experts” embarrass themselves.
Yeah, the area isn’t what it used to be. And when it used to be, it wasn’t what was it was before. And when it was before when it used to be, it wasn’t what it was before that.
As for this crime, I hope this guy was stupid enough to get picked up by the ATM camera and the police are able to catch him soon.
August 27th, 2012 at 10:02 am
WEST PHILLY: Yes, the area is less racially homogeneous. This does not upset me; on the contrary, I feel blessed to raise a child in an environment that reflects the diversity of the country and world we live in.
August 27th, 2012 at 11:58 am
I’m sorry that the neighborhood wasn’t what it used to be. Some of the many reasons why I love West Philly is for its diversity and active community. That being said… I think that the community has improved over the past 5 years that I’ve been here and that’s not anywhere near negative.
Thanks to the blog, it allows readers to take part in community events and it brings awareness to neighbors of important happenings… like the incident above. I don’t see why it matters what the name of this blog is since it’s news that involves areas west of the river.
August 27th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Btw, I live at 50th/51st and Hazel and that’s a widely diverse block…. families, students & people of all races! It’s a great place to be!
August 27th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
The point I’m making is that the areas that they consider on this website is only certain sections of west philly( ”university city” walnut hill marketing schemes) not the whole west philly, Rethink the name of this site because if your not a person from Philadelphia one would think that those are the only areas that people really care about
August 27th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Anon: No one is embrassing themselves , I’m stating an opinon and I’m sorry that you don’t agree, but by being on this so called website ”West Philly” local it only talks about the areas where students, and white people are living in west philly(not to offend anyone). What about the other sections of west philly?
August 27th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
from the westphillylocal “about” page (caps emphasis mine):
West Philly Local is a locally owned community news website that began in December of 2010 to scratch our own itch. As residents of a West Philly neighborhood, we noticed an absence of timely information on everything from schools to crime to arts and culture in a neighborhood that is undergoing a lot of change. Our coverage area is roughly from the Schuylkill River to 52nd Street and Market Street to Woodland Avenue, including the following West Philly neighborhoods: Spruce Hill, Cedar Park, University City, Powelton Village, Garden Court, Squirrel Hill, Walnut Hill, and Woodland Terrace. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS ONLY A PORTION OF WEST PHILLY AND WE HOPE TO EXPAND THAT AREA AS WE GROW.
Our goal is to provide timely information, news and announcements to all of the residents of the neighborhood. OUR MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS ARE YOU, THE READERS. Please feel free to write us anytime.
WEST PHILLY: It’s funny because they started the site for the same reasons you are complaining about. The difference? They did something about it.
Anon: Grain of salt taken.
August 27th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
First: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Lenapehoking.jpg
Second: If you want to see more coverage of events and such farther west, why don’t you submit some tips and story ideas and even offer to write something up? Considering this whole thing is probably run on a shoestring (this isn’t an AOL Patch site, in case you haven’t noticed), it’s always amusing when someone has time to criticize but not contribute. The friggin’ “about” page lists the area WPL covers and specifically mentions they’d like to expand it as they grow and their most important source are their readers.
August 27th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Don’t call the site west philly local when majority of the information provided deals with the same areas of west philly. When I came to the site I expected to see information about all of west philly not just where some college kids live at. Just if I go to a site dealing with cars and it only talks about one certain model thats false avertisment and should be specify
August 27th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
@ WEST PHILLY – We understand your concern, but we thought that our “About” page explains something about our site. Anyway, this thread is for a different topic, so let’s keep it this way. We would be happy to answer all your questions by email (editor@westphillylocal.com).
August 27th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
west philly: there are 2 things to address your concern:
-contribute with your own “real” west philly reporting.
-don’t come to this website.
complaining isnt helping anything necessarily.
your not opening anybodies eyes. nobody here feels guilty for talking about issues that directly relate to them.(in and about west philly)
so, i want you to be apart of the discussion. if you feel that something is neglected,bring something to the table. What do you have to offer? Im not being rude, i am genuinely asking.
sorry for continuing with this off topic discussion.
August 28th, 2012 at 12:29 am
Isn’t one of the most recent articles here about an event pertaining to a section of WP whose eastern limit is 52nd St?
Also, I’m sorry to hear about this porch robbery.
August 28th, 2012 at 1:03 am
It’s true that here on the 4900 block of Osage, an area occasionally covered by this blog, there’s nothing but (white) college kids. Can’t swing a cat without hitting one. It’s all crew cuts, cardigans and ‘boola boola’ out here. Kudos to ‘West Philly’ for calling out the admin on that. If you have a problem with this site, I suggest you start your own local blog at “www.therealwestphilly.com” or “therealwestphillylocal.com”, both of which seem to be available. And, yes, sorry about the digression, since this whole issue was covered recently on another thread.
August 28th, 2012 at 10:45 am
Sorry to continue dragging this off topic but I do think it’s interesting. My block, probably like the block of 4900 Osage, has undergone some generational turnover in the last 5-7 years with very few students in rentals. About half the young couples that have moved in have been white/white pairings while the other have been non-white, biracial or of mixed race. None of them have been a young black/black couple. The few the young black couples that I know buying in the area mostly aren’t from Philly much less West Philly. There are a couple of young black families from West Philly that have chosen to stay and buy here but they seem to be the exception. It’s not entirely due to housing price increases either as there are plenty of young middle class and upper middle class black families from this part of West Philly choosing to buy in Delaware County or Wynnefield (see: Mayor Nutter) but not this area. They often return to our neighborhood to attend church on Sunday. At least one of them is actually a DelCo developer buying and rehabbing area houses to sell to young couples like the ones of my block.
“WEST PHILLY” may not like the area not being what it used be anymore demographically but the migration to Delaware County etc. is part of a city-wide and national trend. Would “WEST PHILLY” prefer the houses go unsold and vacant? After all it’s mostly the children off in DelCo and elsewhere selling their deceased or elderly parents’ houses instead of moving back. Maybe “WEST PHILLY” should be posting on DeloCoLocal.com telling them to come back to the neighborhood rather than being upset with people buying something that was for sale. The new residents would welcome them the same as any other neighbors. After all if we wanted to live in an area that wasn’t diverse, we wouldn’t be here.
August 28th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
I’m not upset at all once again the site says ”west philly” so it should be the whole west philly not just the parts that are closer to center city. Not just west philly but north philly and south philly also, it’s only the sections that are near center city that people are concern about; If you can’t tell the difference then your not from philly.Also it’s amazing how people are still commeting on my post just let it go, and return to what post is orginally about.Anoymous: If you can’t tell that’s where they’re moving majority of black people to delco, notheast and other places then you need to get out more. It’s a process it’s not going to happen overnight but it’s going to happen I work in real estate
August 28th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
WEST PHILLY – Start your own blog! Be a part of the solution – get moving. Also, if *you’re* tired of people commenting on *your* orginal post then please don’t continue to add respond to the responses – wake up call – *you’re* doing the same thing! Just move on.
August 28th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for all the comments, but please stay on the topic. All off-topic comments will be deleted from now on.
August 29th, 2012 at 8:05 pm
I am so sorry that this happened to you on your porch of all places. I am glad to hear that you were not “physically” hurt. I hope that you will be able to enjoy your porch again in the future.
August 30th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Sorry to hear that this happened. I am curious to hear about the police response to this. Have they checked the camera on the ATM for an image of the perp?
[Off-topic part of the comment deleted] – Admin