NEW YORK - A father of eight died after he was punched in the face after he stopped a driver from using a Times Square parking lot as a shortcut, police said.
The driver entered the 42nd Street lot about 5 p.m. Monday in a bid to reach 43rd Street, witnesses said. The lot's manager, Methis Weingarten, 47, ran out to stop him.
The driver, about 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, backed out of the lot, parked and returned on foot to strike Weingarten in the face, witnesses said. At 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, Weingarten fell and hit the concrete floor. His attacker drove off.
Weingarten was pronounced dead two hours later at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center. An autopsy revealed a bruised and hemorrhaged brain and a fractured skull.
The death was ruled a homicide. Police were looking for the driver.
Weingarten, of Brooklyn, was buried Tuesday. Surviving are his wife, and six sons and two daughters, ages 5 to 21.
