Authorities said that an unnamed car thief was beaten to death by the father of the children who were still in the car when he stole it.

At around 9 p.m. on Thursday night in Philadelphia, a 25-year-old woman drove her child — and both of her boyfriend’s children — to the pizza place where her partner worked. She left the kids in the car and went inside, whereupon a 54-year-old man jumped into the car and sped away.

The aforementioned boyfriend charged out of the restaurant and after the car. When it was blocked by traffic, he caught up and dragged the would-be abductor from the vehicle. He and other bystanders then assaulted the man. Emergency medical services responded to the scene and took the thief to Temple University Hospital. But just after 10 p.m., he was declared dead.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told local NBC affiliate WCAU that the woman and her boyfriend were taken into custody, where they cooperated fully with law enforcement officers. According to Small, both the homicide unit and the District Attorney’s Office must now determine whether the father will be charged.

Fortunately, none of the children — all between the ages of seven months and five years — were harmed.