PHILADELPHIA — The arrest of a homeless man in the sexual assaults and strangling deaths of three women in a gritty, high-crime neighborhood of Philadelphia might provide some relief to anxious residents, whom police feared would take matters into their own hands.

Antonio Rodriguez, 21, recently released from prison and believed to have been wandering the streets and staying in abandoned homes, was arrested Monday night. He was linked by DNA to the crimes in the Kensington section of the city, police said. The investigation came to be known as the Kensington Strangler case.

Besides the three murders, three other women reported surviving sexual assaults in the area. Two of them said they were choked into unconsciousness.

The attacks took place in a stretch of Kensington known for open prostitution and drugs, although an influx of artists and young homebuyers has made parts of the neighborhood a bit trendier in recent years.

One of the hundreds of posts on a Facebook page titled “Catch the Kensington Strangler, before he catches someone you love” falsely identified a suspect, drawing an angry crowd to his house. He called police, who cleared him and scolded residents.