A school counselor suffering an apparent heart attack died in a
Philadelphia emergency room after waiting nearly 80 minutes for help -
and a trio of homeless drug addicts nearby stole his watch instead of
seeking aid, police said.

Joaquin Rivera, 63, died before seeing a triage nurse at Atria
Health's Frankford Campus over the weekend, police said.

Rivera, a musician and activist in the city's Latino community, had
spent more than 30 years working as a bilingual counselor at an
inner-city high school.

"We're all destroyed. A guy like that, for him to leave us the way
that he did - and with what happened to him - everybody's destroyed,"
said Jesse Bermudez, a friend and fellow musician.

Rivera's cruel end was captured on security videotape, much like the
June 2008 death of Esmin Green, who died on a hospital floor as
staffers at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn ignored her.
Green's family recently settled a lawsuit against the city for $2
million.

Rivera had walked to the Northeast Philadelphia hospital late Saturday
from his home a few blocks away after pain started shooting down his
right side. He registered at 10:45 p.m. and took a seat, chatting for
about 20 minutes with two men and a woman nearby.

Based on witness accounts, police believe Rivera passed out about an
hour later. Security video then shows one of the men steal his watch
and briefly pass it to the other.

"There's no resistance from Mr. Rivera at all, which is why we believe
he's probably dead. There's no stirring from him," said Capt. Jack
McGinnis, a city detective.

The second suspect is then seen by doctors, and a security guard
arrives to ask his sleeping companions to leave. A witness first
reports that Rivera may be dead.

At 12:04 a.m., he is pronounced dead.

"You would hope he would have died with dignity," McGinnis said.

Aria Health offered condolences to the family Tuesday but otherwise
declined comment, citing patient confidentiality and the pending
criminal case.