Police: 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl raped by man she met on Whisper app

HAVERTOWN, Pennsylvania -- A Pennsylvania man has been charged with raping a 14-year-old girl that he met on the social media app Whisper, authorities announced.

Police said 22-year-old Joseph Valiquette, of Havertown, targeted the girl through the app, which is an anonymous network where people don't have to let others know who they are.

The girl, also a Havertown resident, had posted messages that she was home alone, depressed and lonely after an argument with a family member.

Authorities say the case highlights why parents need to know what their teens are doing on their cellphones.

"She began conversing with him, he seemed nice, according to what she described, and they agree to hang out and watch a movie," Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland said.

Copeland said the teen invited Valiquette over to her home, and within five minutes, he was at her door asking to see her bedroom.

"Upon entering her bedroom, he forces her down unto the bed," Copeland said. "He begins physically choking her around the neck, pulls down her shorts and rapes her right there in her bedroom."

The crime happened back on April 22, but because the suspect had made the alleged posts anonymously, it took authorities until Thursday to arrest him.

Authorities said officials at Whisper cooperated with the investigation, but there were some issues.

"They initially provided us information which was not accurate, so it took us longer because they were slow in responding," Copeland said.

Valiquette told police the sex was consensual and he thought the girl was 16.

"I have seen him before I think, but I never expected this would happen," said neighbor Claudia Capuzzi, who has a 13-year-old daughter. "This is very scary. She's very scared actually...All the friends are texting about this situation."

Valiquette remains in jail after he failed to post 10 percent of his $150,000 cash bail.