German Corona just wanted to get home.
The 46-year-old had just finished a brutal 13-hour shift between two jobs in Philadelphia. It was nearly 11 p.m. on a Friday night. He had walked the same road home on 10th Street every single night for 10 years — never once had anything gone wrong.
That night was different.
As he crossed Shunk Street in South Philadelphia, four juvenile males started following him. Security camera footage captured the moment they moved in from different directions — one of them pointed, and then they attacked.
Corona never saw it coming.
“They don’t say anything,” he said. “They knocked me out for like one minute. When I woke up, I saw a lot of blood on the floor.”
When he came to, they were still hitting him — and demanding money. Bleeding and disoriented, Corona handed over his wallet. Inside was several hundred dollars in cash, money he had just earned working two jobs in one day.
The juveniles grabbed the wallet and ran.
Corona was rushed to a nearby hospital. Doctors found a broken nose and a gash in his head that required three staples to close.
Philadelphia Police confirmed the attack and said no arrests have been made yet. Investigators are actively reviewing the video footage and urging anyone with information to come forward.
For Corona, the hardest part is not the injuries.
It is the fear.
“I walk on the street for like 10 years every night. Every night. Never worried, nothing. It’s always nice and quiet,” he said quietly. “I don’t want it to happen again to anybody else.”
A hardworking man. A familiar road. One night that changed everything.
