A man was arrested in Monday’s rape at a South Philly subway station; SEPTA is increasing security

A 20-year-old man has been charged with raping a woman at gunpoint Monday morning on the platform of a South Philadelphia subway station, the District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

When Namir Thomas was taken into custody Wednesday, police called him a “person of interest” in the attack on a 40-year-old woman and her boyfriend at 4:45 a.m. on the platform of SEPTA’s Snyder Station in the 2100 block of South Broad Street.

By Thursday, Thomas’ status had changed to criminal defendant after the DA’s Office charged him with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, robbery, unlawful restraint, firearms violations, and related offenses.

Tips from the public helped the Philadelphia Police Department quickly identify Thomas as a suspect and bring him into custody, the DA’s Office said.

It could not be immediately learned whether Thomas has a lawyer.

Monday’s attack was the second reported rape at a SEPTA facility this year, a number that equals the total number of rapes at transit agency facilities in all of last year, according to statistics SEPTA provided to The Inquirer. The earlier incident took place in April on the Broad Street Line. Quintez Adams, 28, was arrested in connection with that incident, but the charges were dropped in June because “further investigation did not support the initial charges or account relayed by police,” said Jane Roh, spokesperson for the DA’s Office. Adams remains in custody on unrelated sexual-assault charges, two of them involving minors, Roh said.

In the latest crime, police said Thomas approached the woman and her 44-year-old boyfriend on a bicycle and briefly made small talk before pulling a black Glock handgun with a green slide and an extended magazine.

While assaulting the woman, Thomas pointed the gun at her boyfriend, who put his hands up and “was made to watch,” said Capt. James Kearney, of the Special Victims Unit.

No one else was on the platform at the time of the assault, said Kearney, who added that the crime was recorded by SEPTA’s security cameras.

SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said the transit authority has launched a number a measures with the goal of enhancing safety. This week, 25 SEPTA police officers were transferred to patrol trains and stations along the Market-Frankford Line, the busiest line in the system, he said.

In addition, SEPTA recently agreed to pay raises for officers in an effort to attract new recruits and retain current officers; in May, a fleet of “outreach specialists,” were hired and tasked with reinforcing riding rules to passengers and assisting officers; while 50 social workers have been aiding those with mental health and addiction issues for about a year on the Market-Frankford Line, Busch said.

“We understand why people are concerned. These incidents are extremely serious violent crimes,” he said.

So far this year, there have been 112 robberies at SEPTA facilities, 39 aggravated assaults, 15 burglaries, 316 thefts, one vehicle theft, and four cases of arson, according to SEPTA data.