ATTACK

Young father killed with one punch following fender bender in Philadelphia

By TaRhonda Thomas
Friday, June 4, 2021 6:25AM

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Wei Lin always had a reputation for helping others. ... "He was so kind," said the 28-year-old's wife through a translator. "Whenever his friends needed help, he tried his best to help them." ... And it was while helping a friend that Lin became the victim of a deadly attack.

It happened on Monday, May 24 as an employee of his restaurant was making a food delivery in the area of L and Luzerne streets in the Juniata section of Philadelphia. ... "During the delivering process, he got into a car accident," said the victim's wife, Mrs. Zhang, who only wanted to use her last name due to safety concerns. She spoke to 6abc through a Mandarin translator. ... The employee who got into the minor car crash didn't speak English and called Lin to help him communicate with the other driver.

Lin's family members say he called police and exchanged information with the woman who was driving the other car. What happened next was a complete shock. ... "The suspect came out of nowhere," Zhang says of a man who arrived on the scene when police weren't there. ... "It was a fist and a really heavy hit at my husband's head," recounts Zhang of the story the delivery driver told, detailing how a man who was a relative of the other driver approached Lin and punched him in the head.

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Lin was hospitalized for three days before succumbing to his injuries on Thursday, May 27. His wife says he was unconscious the entire time suffering from severe brain damage. ... Police have arrested a suspect, Jose Figueroa of Hunting Park. He's charged with manslaughter.

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Pa. man dies after being punched in the head while trying to help at crash scene: report

Updated Jun 03, 2021; Posted Jun 03, 2021

By Becky Metrick | bmetrick@pennlive.com

A Philadelphia restaurant worker died three days after he was attacked while trying to help an employee who was involved in a car crash, according to reports. ... 6ABC reports that Wei Lin, 28, went to the area of L Street and Luzerne in the Juniata section of Philadelphia on May 24, after one of his delivery drivers got into a car crash.

There was a language barrier, so Lin wanted to help, Lin’s wife told the outlet through a Mandarin translator. ... While Lin was there, he was able to call the police and exchange information with the driver of the other car, the outlet reported. Moments later, he was attacked.

Lin’s wife told the outlet that the suspect came out of nowhere, and left before police arrived. She described what the delivery driver saw, saying her husband was punched with a “really heavy hit” to his head. ... Lin collapsed, she said, and never woke up again, ultimately dying from brain damage, the outlet reported.

The wife said the suspect was a relative of the other driver, and 6ABC identified Jose Figueroa as the suspect arrested in the case. ... Online court dockets show Figueroa, 30, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, simple assault, conspiracy to commit simple assault and reckless endangerment.

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