Pennsylvania

Dying man robbed in Philadelphia ER waiting room:

Reason to Blow Up The World...

PHILADELPHIA—A school counselor suffering an apparent heart attack died in a Philadelphia emergency room after waiting nearly 80 minutes for help -- and a trio of homeless drug addicts nearby stole his watch instead of seeking aid, police said.

Joaquin Rivera, 63, died before seeing a triage nurse at Atria Health's Frankford Campus over the weekend, police said.

Rivera, a musician and activist in the city's Latino community, had spent more than 30 years working as a bilingual counselor at an inner-city high school.

Rivera had walked to the Northeast Philadelphia hospital late Saturday from his home a few blocks away after pain started shooting down his right side. He registered at 10:45 p.m. and took a seat, chatting for about 20 minutes with two men and a woman nearby.

Based on witness accounts, police believe Rivera passed out about an hour later. Security video then shows one of the men steal his watch and briefly pass it to the other.

The second suspect is then seen by doctors, and a security guard arrives to ask his sleeping companions to leave. A witness first reports that Rivera may be dead.

At 12:04 a.m., he is pronounced dead.

Aria Health offered condolences to the family Tuesday but otherwise declined comment, citing patient confidentiality and the pending criminal case.

McGinnis describes the three suspects as homeless drug addicts. Police arrested one of them, 44-year-old Richard Alten, at the hospital and are searching for the others.

Detectives have seen the video footage, but Aria Health had not yet produced a copy for them, McGinnis said. Police hope to publicize it to find the missing pair.

A preliminary ruling suggests Rivera died of hypertension. He is survived by his wife and three children.