Police ID man accused of stabbing teen girl at Willow Grove Park Mall

Police identified a man accused of stabbing a teen girl at the Willow Grove Park Mall in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday, April 15, shortly before 2:30 p.m., police responded to the mall on 2500 Moreland Road for a report of a girl who had been assaulted by a man armed with a knife.

The responding officers found a 14-year-old girl who had suffered stab wounds to her arms. The teen girl was taken to the hospital where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police sent a description of a suspect in the stabbing to other responding officers after speaking with witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage.

A short time later, at 2:48 p.m., they found a man who matched the suspect’s description – later identified as 23-year-old Angel Ortiz of Philadelphia – who was sitting at a bus stop in front of the Old Navy Store on the 2500 block of West Moreland Road.

Police arrested Ortiz who told police he acted in self-defense, according to the criminal complaint.

“She hit me first. I was scared for my life. I have two knives on me. Just pocket knives,” Ortiz told police, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Police said Ortiz was in possession of two pocket knives at the time of his arrest. He was taken into police custody.

A detective later met with the teen girl at the hospital. The teen said she was visiting the mall with two of her friends. As the three girls rode down an escalator, one of them joked that another teen smelled. They then turned to Ortiz — who was behind them on the escalator — and told them that he was the one who smelled, according to the criminal complaint.

The girl told police Ortiz became angry, started yelling at her and her friends and the argument continued as they all got off the escalator.

The girl said a security guard observed the altercation and tried to speak with all of them. The girl told police Ortiz then walked away but then came back towards her and got in her face.

The girl claimed Ortiz told her several times, “Why don’t you hit me?” The girl told police she then punched Ortiz in the head and that he swung back at her with an object in his hand. The girl said she raised her hands to cover her face and Ortiz ran away. The girl told police she then realized she had been stabbed and saw the wounds on both of her arms.

While being interviewed by police, Ortiz said he didn’t mean to stab the girl and that he only lunged at her with his pocket knife in order to get her to “back off,” according to the criminal complaint. He told investigators after the altercation with the teen, he left the mall and went to the Chipotle restaurant on the 2600 block of West Moreland Road in order to “cool off” and wait for the bus, officials said.

Police later looked at surveillance video which they say shows Ortiz and the girls arguing. The video then shows Ortiz walking away before turning around and approaching the girls, police said. Ortiz then once again walks away as the 14-year-old girl follows him and then appears to strike him on or around his head, according to investigators.

The video then shows Ortiz lunging his right arm towards the teen girl, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators said a knife isn’t visible in Ortiz’s hands due to the poor quality of the video but they believe he struck the girl with a knife. The video also shows the girl holding her arm and a large amount of blood is seen on the ground, according to the criminal complaint.

Police also spoke with a witness who said they saw the girl punch Ortiz before he swiped at her with a knife.

Ortiz is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, and harassment.

He is being held at the Montgomery County Prison after failing to post bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 29, 2026.

Court documents don’t list the name of a public defender who could speak on Ortiz’s behalf.