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Philly teens beat husband, father so brutally in unprovoked attack that part of his skull has to be removed to relieve pressure on his brain, which was bleeding
Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

Philly teens beat husband, father so brutally in unprovoked attack that part of his skull has to be removed to relieve pressure on his brain, which was bleeding

A group of Philadelphia teenagers beat a husband and father so brutally in an unprovoked attack last week that part of the 53-year-old victim's skull had to be removed to relieve pressure on his brain, which was bleeding.

What are the details?

Michelle Ferrara told WTXF-TV her husband departed their Fairmount home just after 8 p.m. Friday to see a concert at the Union Transfer when he was attacked just two blocks away.

The victim, identified only as Benjamin, was walking toward the 1600 block of Mt. Vernon Street when two males and two females — ages 15 to 17 — attacked him, WPVI-TV reported.

A residential surveillance camera captured the moments before the attack, WTXF said. The blurred video shows Benjamin heading down a sidewalk and one individual running up behind him as three others follow closely behind.

Benjamin was unconscious on the ground, WPVI said, adding that police said the attackers went through his pockets and took his car keys, house keys, and credit cards.

Ferrara got a call from the hospital around 9:30 p.m. Friday saying Benjamin suffered severe head trauma with a brain bleed, WTXF said, adding that medics first thought he was hit by a car.

"They easily could have killed him," Ferrara told WPVI.

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

"He has staples completely running down his head and along his head because they removed part of his skull to alleviate pressure on his brain," Ferrara added to WTXF.

Benjamin, who's in the ICU, faces memory loss and will have to go through speech therapy, WPVI said.

"He'll really try to get words out, and then he'll like wipe a tear away," Ferrara told WPVI, adding that their 4-year-old son is trying to comprehend what happened to his dad.

"Their bond is going to have to be reimagined because they can't do like basic father and son stuff," she added to WPVI.

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

What happened to the teens?

The teens stole the family's 2014 Honda CR-V, according to WPVI, but it has been recovered. Police added to the station that charges on Benjamin's credit card at a nearby hotel helped locate the teens.

All four suspects were taken into custody on Saturday morning, a law enforcement source told WTXF.

The Philadelphia district attorney's office said it's still an active investigation, but four juvenile defendants are in custody and charged with robbery, aggravated assault, conspiracy, simple assault, unauthorized use of property, and related offenses, WPVI said.

There are no weapons charges, as it does not appear any weapons were used, the station added, citing the district attorney's office.

But a law enforcement source told WPVI the two male juveniles who took part in the unprovoked attack are facing attempted murder charges.

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