Philadelphia neighbors outraged after video shows teen attacking man: 'Everybody is afraid to walk around'
Police are reviewing home surveillance video showing a teen punching a man in the head in Philadelphia's Bridesburg neighborhood.
The video, recorded Saturday around 4 p.m. on the 4400 block of Richmond Street, shows a group of teens walking behind a man. All but one appear to cross the street. Moments later, one teen sneaks up behind the man, who neighbors believe may be homeless, and punches him in the back of the head.
The victim falls to the ground as the teen runs across the street with his friends. One appears to be recording the incident on a phone.
"Guy didn't even see it coming," said Beth Myers, who lives in Bridesburg.
Neighbors say the victim already appeared to be struggling before the attack.
"The man was already having a bad day as it is," said Kristina Myers. "He's walking around with a blanket on, he's limping, and he's cold. Leave him alone. Why do you have to bother the guy?"
Residents expressed concern that similar incidents involving teens are becoming more common in the area.
"Everybody is afraid to walk around anymore, that's basically it, all the time," Kristina Myers said.
Beth Myers compared the attack to the so-called "knockout game," which made headlines about a decade ago for random street assaults.
"They just go punch people, knock 'em out," she said.
Neighbors say they have seen the victim before, but not since the attack. They believe parents should intervene and that the teens should also face more consequences.
"If they get away with this, it's only going to escalate further, and more people will get hurt," Beth Myers said. "It was totally uncalled for. It was just horrible."
"If you're going to act like grown-ups, then you should get the adult consequences too," added Kristina Myers.
Police confirm officers were called and responded to the scene, but the victim did not want police involvement. Northeast Detectives are reviewing the video.
