In an act of mob justice, a man was beaten to death after he tried to steal a car with three children inside, Philadelphia police say.

The man, 54, drove off with the car while the children's mother and father were in a store Thursday night, police said. The parents chased down the vehicle by foot and pulled the carjacker out when he got stalled in traffic.

The thief assaulted the father and fled, but a large crowd stopped the suspect and beat him, police said.

The suspect was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital.

Police are investigating and had not made any arrests Friday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said prosecutors are waiting for police to complete their investigation before commenting.