Gunpoint robbery near Temple University campus latest in string of attacks

A 19-year-old Temple University student was robbed near the school's North Philadelphia campus Friday night. He was the third Temple student to be held at gunpoint in as many days.

The victim was walking along the 1400 block of Jefferson Street around 10:45 p.m., when a man approached him from behind, pointed a handgun at his head, and ordered him to give up his belongings, police said.

The suspect took an iPhone 6, a wallet containing two debit cards, and $2 in cash before fleeing west on Jefferson.

Police described him as thin, about 5 feet 5 to 5 feet 7, and dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt and a dark-colored ski mask.

No injuries were reported.

Temple notified students and faculty of the robbery through the campus alert system around 11:30 p.m. Friday. It is being investigated as "an isolated incident," Temple University spokesman Brandon Lausch said.

Though the victim is a student, the attack is not believed to be related to two other armed robberies of Temple students reported on or near the school's campus early Thursday.

In the first, which occurred around 12:30 a.m. at 10th Street and Susquehanna Avenue, two men approached a 21-year-old and tried to force him into his car at gunpoint.

When the victim resisted, the suspects forced him to the ground, stole his keys and cell phone, and took off in his car, a 2005 Cadillac CTS with New Jersey tags.

About three hours later, two men – one of them armed – robbed a 24-year-old student of his cell phone, keys, and wallet near 15th Street and Montgomery Avenue, police said.

Authorities on Friday released surveillance footage showing suspects in the two incidents and said they believed the same men committed both crimes.

Also on Friday, a 25-year-old man was pistol-whipped during a home-invasion robbery on the 1900 block of Diamond Street, about three blocks away from Temple's campus.

Two armed men forced their way inside a second-floor apartment around 7:15 p.m., assaulted the victim, and stole gold jewelry and a watch, police said.

The victim, who was hospitalized in stable condition, reportedly told investigators he knew the assailants by name. Investigators believe he was targeted, and that the crime is not connected to the other gunpoint robberies.

Anyone with information about any of the incidents was asked to contact Philadelphia police.