A 28-year-old man accused of raping two Pennsylvania teenagers in separate cases last year has been apprehended by US Marshals.
Dijani Brown is charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in Horsham Township and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Manor Township, Lancaster County.
Law enforcement officials express concern that there may be further victims.
One of the cases happened on Oct. 14 at a parking lot of a strip mall on the 1400 block of Bethlehem Pike in Horsham Township.
According to police, Brown brought a 14-year-old girl there overnight and sexually assaulted her.
The other case occurred two days earlier, on October 12, in Manor Township. Police allege Brown sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in his car in Lancaster County.
Brown met the victims on social media, according to investigators in both incidents. According to authorities, Horsham used the “Purp” app, marketed as a social networking program for individuals aged 13 and up, to connect with new friends.
“He’s on a friend-finder app, posing as a 17-year-old when, in fact, he was 27 at the time of the crimes,” said Rob Clark of the US Marshals Service.
According to the criminal complaint, Brown offered the Horsham adolescent a vaporizer and alcohol before sexually assaulting her. Investigators say later that morning, the victim and her parents called the police.
After months of seeking, U.S. Marshals apprehended Brown on Friday morning at his home in Yonkers, New York.
Law enforcement officials advise parents to closely monitor their children’s phone and online behavior as the investigation continues. With today’s apps and social media, as well as predators like Mr. Brown, you must pay close attention to what your child is doing, who they are meeting on the phone, and the apps that they are using,” Clark added.
Brown was charged in New York and will be extradited to Pennsylvania. He’s being held without bail.