Predator rapes Camden girl, 14

A 14-year-old Camden girl was abducted and sexually assaulted on Wednesday night, the fourth such incident in the city in less than three months.

Capt. Joseph Bowen of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said only that the girl was sexually assaulted in East Camden.

"It's top priority right now for us and for the Camden Police Department," Bowen said Saturday.

Hermes Perez Jr. said that about 9 p.m., he spotted the victim running down Garden Avenue, near Highland Avenue, naked and in tears.

Perez, who lives in that neighborhood on the Camden-Pennsauken border, said the victim told him she was abducted from another part of Camden then sexually assaulted.

"I ran after her and said, "What's going on?' And she said, 'I was raped,' " Perez said. "We brought her in, I had my wife clothe her and we called the police."

It is unclear if Wednesday's incident is related to three other attacks on girls since October.

A dark minivan has been present at each of the previous three incidents, police said.

The first attack occurred about 1:20 p.m. Oct. 16 at 8th and Everett streets, when a 14-year-old girl escaped the suspect near Sumner Elementary School.

The second attack occurred about 7 p.m. Nov. 11 in the 1900 block of Mulford Street. A 14-year-old girl was grabbed near Cream Elementary School about 7 p.m. and the suspect took her to the 1800 block of Mulford Street, where he sexually assaulted her in a yard, police said.

The third incident happened about 5:30 p.m. Dec. 11 on Hayes Avenue between 32nd and 36th streets. The suspect attempted to pull an 11-year-old girl into his van, but she escaped.

The victims' descriptions of the suspect vary widely so no sketch or description was available.