(PHILADELPHIA) — Philadelphia police are seeking a suspect in a recent string of sexual assaults that they believe may be the work of a serial rapist.

Authorities have identified a “pattern of sexual assaults” that occurred in the Kensington neighborhood and involved a man who sexually assaulted women in his car, according to Captain James Kearney, commanding officer of the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit.

“We’ve got three cases,” Kearney told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. “We have a pattern going on here.”

The incidents occurred in the early morning hours of March 15, April 5 and April 21, police said. Two victims were approached by the suspect and got in his car, one after being offered a ride, police said. A third victim was forced into the car, police said.

In all three cases, the suspect drove to a location, pulled out a handgun and demanded oral sex from the women, police said. In the most recently reported assault, the suspect also punched and raped the victim and stole her cellphone, Kearney said. A rape kit was conducted, where DNA evidence was collected and is in the process of being compared to other cases, he said. The iPhone was recovered as well, he said.

Police described the suspect’s car as a 2016 to 2020 charcoal gray Dodge Charger four-door sedan, with tinted windows and “distinct rims.” Detectives were able to locate surveillance video of the car but were unable to pick up a license plate, Kearny said.

The victims ranged in age from 28 to 35 and were all Black women, police said. Kearney described them as “the most vulnerable people out there,” and noted that the area is known for sex work.

“He’s preying on these women who we believe he feels that’s not going to report it,” he said.

Authorities believe that additional assaults involving other women may have occurred and are asking potential survivors to step forward.

“For one reason or another, these survivors, these women are not coming in to talk to us,” said Kearney. “We need to talk to people and stop it from happening again.”

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

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(BOSTON) — Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been found not guilty of indecent assault and battery for a 2017 incident in Boston.

“It’s an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question. His conduct and his appearance and his demeanor are not befitting of a public person of his stature at that time,” Boston Municipal Court Justice Judge James Stanton said Tuesday.

But the judge added, “This case is about credibility. And it’s the court’s job to adapt to assess the credibility of the witnesses. … The complaining witness has significant credibility issues.”

Natalie Tene, 32, said Batali forcibly kissed her and grabbed her breasts, buttocks and groin after meeting him in a Boston bar while having a drink with a friend in March 2017.

Under cross-examination, Tene repeatedly said she did not remember text messages she sent to friends that described her meeting Batali as “exciting.” In one message, she suggested to a friend she could “hopefully” get $10,000 for photos of the encounter.

After two days of testimony and two hours of deliberation Stanton ruled that the defendant had a financial motive for making the accusations. Stanton rendered the verdict directly as the sole decider of the case since Batali waived his right to a jury trial.

On Monday, at the start of the trial, Tene said she was speaking out “to be able to take control of what happened,” while a defense attorney for Batali called her a liar who is twisting the truth “for money and for fun.”

Tene claimed Batali was “grabbing me in ways I had never been touched before, squeezing between my legs … pulling me closer to him.”

Batali maintained that he was not guilty of the allegations.

Mario Batali takes leave of absence, apologizes to those ‘I have mistreated and hurt’
The alleged assault took place after the accuser asked the chef for a selfie. He smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, she alleged. Tene has also filed a civil complaint for unspecified damages based on the same allegations that will be tried separately from this case.

Though this case was the only one to go to criminal trial, four women accused Batali of inappropriate touching in December 2017, which prompted him to leave the ABC daytime cooking show “The Chew” and remove himself from his restaurant business. In a statement at the time, Batali said he was “so very sorry” for disappointing his friends, family, co-workers and fans.

ABC News’ Mark Guarino contributed to this report.

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(SAN FRANCISCO) — Former world heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson will not face charges in an incident last month in which he was recorded getting into a physical altercation with a fellow passenger on a flight at San Francisco International Airport, a California prosecutor announced Tuesday.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said he decided not to charge the 55-year-old Tyson after reviewing police reports and videos of the confrontation.

“Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr. Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation,” Wagstaffe said in a statement. “These include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson that no charges be filed in this case. We now deem this case closed.”

The incident unfolded on April 20 while Tyson was seated in first-class on a JetBlue flight at San Francisco International Airport waiting to take off for Florida.

A video obtained by the website TMZ Sports appeared to show a passenger seated behind Tyson repeatedly attempting to speak to the boxer, who became annoyed and told the man to “chill.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat,” representatives for Tyson said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The video showed Tyson standing up, leaning over the back of his seat and repeatedly punching the passenger, who was later video recorded with blood on his forehead.

San Francisco police officers detained Tyson and the passenger, and opened an investigation.

Wagstaffe said he reviewed the case and determined that allegations Tyson committed misdemeanor battery were not founded.

Tyson’s attorneys David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Martin A. Sabelli issued a joint statement thanking Wagstaffe for conducting a thorough investigation and praising all law enforcement agencies involved in the probe for their “careful, diligent and professional work.”

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