German Corona just wanted to get home.
The 46-year-old South Philadelphia father of three had just wrapped up a grueling 13-hour shift between two jobs. It was Friday night, nearly 10:30 p.m., and all he wanted was his front door.
He never made it there safely.
As Corona walked near the 2500 block of South 10th Street, he noticed a group of men following him. He crossed to the other side of the street, hoping they would move on.
They didn’t.
“When I see three guys, I moved to the other side. I think when they saw me move, they started running,” Corona said.
What happened next was caught on multiple Ring cameras along the block. The group closed in fast. One man pointed directly at Corona. Then the attack began.
“They don’t say anything,” he said.
Corona was struck in the back of the head with an object and knocked unconscious. When he came to, the beating continued.
“They knocked me out for like one minute. When I wake up, I saw a lot of blood on the floor,” he said.
Even on the ground, the attackers kept going — demanding money as they hit him. Corona threw his wallet with everything he had.
“I just had $200, that’s it,” he said.
Neighbors who heard the attack rushed outside to help. One witness described seeing an attacker stomping on Corona’s head. Corona was rushed to the hospital, where he needed three staples in his head and was treated for a broken nose.
He says the attackers appeared to be teenagers or young adults, most wearing masks.
Corona has walked these streets for ten years without fear. That feeling is gone now.
“I walk on the street for like 10 years every night. Never worried, nothing. It’s always nice and quiet,” he said quietly.
His neighbor Loretta Iannuzzi put it plainly: “We shouldn’t be afraid to walk in our neighborhoods.”
Corona is recovering at home, away from both jobs for now. He says he came forward with his story for one reason only.
“I don’t want it to happen again to anybody else.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Philadelphia Police.
