Jeronimo Garcia Guerra, inset, died after a car he was fixing fell on top of him in Phoenix. A thief allegedly then went trough his pockets and stole his other car. (Guerra: GoFundMe; Screengrab: KPHO/YouTube)
A man fixing a car in Arizona died after it fell on top of him and another man — instead of helping him — went through his pockets and stole his other car, according to cops.
It happened June 17 in Phoenix. According to Phoenix police, Jeronimo Garcia Guerra was driving his wife to work that morning when the car broke down in a parking lot near 23rd Avenue and Thomas Road. A family member picked up Guerra and his wife and drove her to work and him back home. Guerra drove his daughter’s car back to the parking lot to try and fix the broken-down car. As Guerra had the car up on a jack, it apparently fell and crushed him, according to cops.
Another man who was walking nearby saw what happened, according to police. Instead of helping him or calling police, the man allegedly went through Guerra’s pockets, grabbed the keys to the other car and stole it. The suspect also went through the broken-down car, cops say. A couple hours later another passerby saw Guerra’s body and called 911. Paramedics pronounced him dead on scene.
Now Guerra’s family is devastated — and angry.
“It’s hard because I would never do that to somebody. I could care less about my car but at least they could have stayed there with him until help came,” his daughter Monica Garcia told local CBS affiliate KPHO. “At least I would’ve known he wasn’t by himself all day until somebody decided to say oh my God he’s not moving.”
Police found the stolen vehicle the next day, but they are still searching for the suspect. Detectives are reviewing surveillance video in the area.
Garcia said it feels as if the suspect disrespected her father.
“That’s somebody’s dad, somebody’s husband, a grandparent, somebody’s best friend. He’s my person. And I don’t have that anymore because somebody couldn’t stop and check,” she said.
Guerra leaves behind his wife and two children, a GoFundMe fundraiser said.
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