An alleged carjacker who stole a vehicle with children inside is dead after police say a Pennsylvania man chased the suspect down and beat him to death.
NBC 10 reports that the incident happened in Philadelphia on Thursday night when a 54-year-old man jumped into a running Hyundai sedan with three children, ages five and under, inside. The children’s mother had briefly stepped out of the car to visit her boyfriend at his job at a pizza shop in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.
The children’s father gave chase and caught up with the alleged car thief when he got stuck in traffic around a block away, at the intersection of 29th and York streets, according to police. The father reportedly pulled the man from the car and started beating him. Authorities said bystanders who witnessed the attack joined in and helped the father.
When first responders arrived to the scene, the 54-year-old man was on the ground, unconscious with severe trauma to his head and face. He was later pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital.
“They were able to pull this car thief out of the vehicle. He fled on foot about a half a block. And the boyfriend caught up to him and there was some sort of physical struggle that ensued,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, according to ABC 6.
Small added that the children’s mother and father were taken in for questioning, and are cooperating with the investigation.
No arrests have been made at this time. The District Attorney’s Office and the Philadelphia homicide unit will decide if any charges will be filed.
None of the children were physically harmed during the incident. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
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[Feature Photo: C.J. Jackson/Handout]
