Man wielding tree branch run over by bucket truck in Philadelphia's Roxborough section

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A 52-year-old Roxborough man was killed early Friday after being run over by a work truck on Ridge Avenue, according to Philadelphia police.

The incident happened just after 1 a.m. on the 6200 block of Ridge Avenue.

Police said James Petrone approached a bucket truck carrying a large tree branch and attempted to open the passenger-side door.

During the encounter, Petrone allegedly pulled on the door handle with enough force to break it off.

"He was pulling on the door, actually broke the handle of the work truck door off. Under the victim's body we did find that work truck door handle," Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

According to investigators, the truck driver told police he feared he was being carjacked and drove away. Petrone was run over and suffered a fatal head injury.

Police later located the work truck about 10 blocks north of the scene. Small said the driver has been cooperating with investigators.

Petrone lived a few blocks from where the incident occurred. Neighbors described him as a kind person who had recently been struggling with mental health issues.

"We were hoping that he could get help, get better and that everything would go back to normal, so it's unfortunate that it didn't end that way," one neighbor said.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Philadelphia police had responded to Petrone's home more than a dozen times this year, including as recently as Thursday night.

An anonymous neighbor said residents had repeatedly called police and requested mental health checks in an effort to get Petrone assistance.

"We called the police a lot. They said he wasn't doing anything enough for them to intervene," the neighbor said.

Neighbors said they had recently noticed changes in Petrone's behavior and were concerned about his well-being.

"He's always been really nice to us, really kind, and then we noticed he was kind of a little off the last week or so and everybody's been trying to intervene to get him help. So it's kind of sad that it ended with this," the neighbor said.

Another resident said the outcome was heartbreaking for those who knew him.

"Very horrible. It is not, I don't think, what anybody wanted for him. It's very sad to see because we know he was struggling," the neighbor said.

A family member reached by phone said relatives are still trying to process what happened.

Police said no charges had been filed as of Friday, and the investigation remains ongoing.