Teens charged in beating death of homeless man investigated for possible connection to assault

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WTXF) - The teens charged in the beating death of Kevin Cullen are being investigated for a possible connection to an assault case five days earlier and four blocks away.

FOX 29's Bruce Gordon spoke with the victim of the assault.

19-year-old Jonathan Segarra is back on his feet and feeling better except for the chill running down his spine.

"What was your reaction when you realized what these kids were capable of?" FOX 29's Bruce Gordon asked. "It made me realize that I could have been in the homeless man's situation and it just really scared me when I thought about it."

Segarra tells FOX 29 and we've confirmed that Philadelphia police investigators believe some of the teens involved in the fatal beating of Kevin Cullen on November 26 were among those who attacked Segarra five days earlier and four blocks away.

Segarra was walking to work near Ditman and Aldine in the mid-afternoon when four teens approached one of them asked for his cell phone.

When Segarra refused.

"He bear-hugged me from behind and then he picked me up and slammed me on the street. And then, they all started to kick me and punch me," he said.

A Good Samaritan interrupted the beating and ran off the attackers. Still, Segarra was hospitalized with scrapes and bruises.

Police have arrested one teen in the Segarra attack.They do not believe he was involved in the Cullen killing, but believe the others may be connected.

"Your reaction when you heard that there might be a connection?" Gordon asked.

"I had a bad gut feeling and my hair stood up everywhere on my body knowing that I could have lost my son," father, Angel Segarra, said.

"What went through your mind as a father?" Gordon asked. "The loss of my son and how hard that would be. How horrible that would be. No parent should ever have to bury their child," Segarra said.

The Cullen case shocked the city.

Police believe the motive in the Cullen case was robbery.