Police: Carjacker Beaten to Death After Stealing Car With Children Inside in Philadelphia

Police tape in a file photograph. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Philadelphia police say bystanders beat a suspected carjacker to death after he drove off with 3 children in a car, and was chased down and pulled from the vehicle by the parents.

According to local reports, Philadelphia police say that a 25-year-old woman left her car running while she went inside the pizza shop where her boyfriend worked in the Strawberry Mansion part of the city, on the evening of July 11, leaving her three children inside.

A 54-year-old man jumped inside the Hyundai, driving off with the children still inside.

But he didn’t get far.

The couple gave chase, and when the car got stuck in traffic about 3 blocks later, they caught up with the thief.

“They were able to pull this car thief out of the vehicle, ” Chief Inspector Scott Small with the Philadelphia Police Department told WPVI.

“He fled on foot about a half a block. And the boyfriend caught up to him and there was some sort of a physical struggle that ensued. Then other males from the neighborhood intervened and began punching and kicking the male who took the vehicle.”

The 54-year-old was rendered unconscious by the attack, reported CBS, which took place on 29th Street, near York Street.

He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he died about an hour later from his injuries, which included severe head trauma.

The junction of 29th Street and York Street in Philadelphia Screenshot/Google Maps

Police say the three children are 5 years old, a year and a half, and 7 months old, CBS reported.

The boyfriend was the father of two of those children.

The parents remained at the scene of the incident, and were taken to be questioned by homicide detectives,  the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The children have been placed with family members.

According to WPVI, it is unclear whether charges will be filed.

Police say that they are continuing to investigate and are trying to track down the other males involved in the assault, reported CBS, which was captured by a nearby surveillance camera.

Chief Inspector Small told NBC10 that both parents are cooperating with investigators and that both the homicide unit and the District Attorney’s Office will work to determine if the father will be charged.

The names of the carjacker and the parents have not been released.

14-Year-Old Steals Car With Baby Inside

Last week, in North Carolina, a food delivery car with a 1-year-old baby inside was stolen as the mother made a delivery, leaving the engine running.

The suspected carjacker was a 14-year-old boy, who was charged with kidnapping.

The SUV was taken on the evening of July 5 while the mother made a delivery for “DoorDash,” an online, on-demand food service, police said, according to local reports.

The incident occurred in Southern Pines, North Carolina at about 9 p.m.

The SUV was found abandoned over an hour later, with the infant still safely inside.

Four days later, on July 10, police announced that a 14-year-old had been arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle, according to the Sandhills Sentinel.

“This juvenile is a resident of Southern Pines, North Carolina and was located in Aberdeen, North Carolina by officers from the Southern Pines Police Department’s Investigation Division,” said the Southern Pines Police Department in the press release, as per the Sandhills Sentinel.

The suspect has not been named because he is a juvenile.