Eyewitness: Man asking for ride dies after fight with homeowner in Roxborough

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (FOX 29) - A man in his driveway was just getting ready to leave for work when another man walked up looking for a ride. An eyewitness who saw it all unfold says the two men began fighting and the man looking a ride ended up dead.

It happened on the 8100 block of Ridge Ave. in Roxborough.

According to an eyewitness, the violence came around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. The eyewitness says a resident of a house was confronted by a man in his 40s in the driveway as he was preparing for work.

"He came down the driveway and he asks for a ride. My neighbor told him he wasn't able to give him a ride because he didn't know him. He tried to get in my neighbors' car. My neighbor then sprayed him with mace and it turned into a big fight," the eyewitness explained.

The eyewitness--who asked not to be shown on camera--says the assailant was "getting the best of her neighbor" until he broke away and moved to a back porch where his girlfriend joined in the struggle.

"So the assailant punched a woman as well--three times?" FOX 29's Jeff Cole asked. The eyewitness said, "He punched my neighbor three times in the face. Yes, he did."

The eyewitness says the assailant suddenly lurched backward.

"He fell back and hit his head, I guess. He hit his head and that was the end of him," The eyewitness explained.

Police arrived to find the man unconscious and performed CPR before taking him to Roxborough Hospital where he died.

There was no answer at the home Wednesday afternoon.

Police are investigating while the eyewitness says she's confident in what happened.

"I think it's absolutely crazy. This is our neighborhood what is he doing in our driveway at five in the morning? He got what he deserved. This was self-defense," she said.