A pair of car thieves got off what appeared to be an illegal off-road motorcycle to assault a man during a carjacking in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood before leaving him for dead as they escaped to New Jersey, police said.
Philadelphia police officers and fire department medics were called to 3rd and Cambridge streets in the Northern Liberties neighborhood around 10 p.m. Thursday to find a 60-year-old man bleeding from his head in a semi-conscious state, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
Doctors took the man to the hospital where he died about 40 minutes later, Small said.
“Right now it appears to be a robbery, carjacking, homicide,” Small said.
This is what the police said a witness told them.
“The 60-year-old male was sitting in a parked black Toyota Highlander, we know it’s a 2023,” Small said. “…two men approached on a motorcycle, possibly a dirt bike, they had face masks, one of them pulled the 60-year-old driver out of the driver’s seat and there was some sort of scuffle and altercation.”
During that fight, the man who was pulled from the truck ended up bloody on the road, Small said.
“We do not believe this victim was shot,” Small said.
One of the thieves got back on the dirt bike and the other took off on the Highlander, Small said.
Police tracked down the Highlander and found it abandoned in Camden, New Jersey, Philadelphia police said.
A relative of the beaten man said the 60-year-old man, who lives in Center City, was waiting for that relative at the time of the attack.
Surveillance cameras also captured parts of the incident. Small said police hope that will help them track down the thieves.
Philadelphia continues to fight homicides. As of Friday, at least 268 homicides have been reported in Philadelphia, according to police data. That’s 23% less than the same period last year, but it’s still on pace to be one of the bloodiest years in recent history.
