Man beaten to death in parking accident dispute

IRVINGTON, N.J.

It was the last thing he would do.

Now police are looking for the man who beat and killed 70-year-old Robert Sabio over minor incident that took place in a parking spot.

It happened in Irvington, New Jersey.

"This is something that only happens in the newspaper or on TV, it doesn't happen to anybody you know," said Linda Sabio, widow.

But sadly, the worst has happened to Linda Sabio's family.

Her beloved husband of nearly 44 years is dead, the victim of a vicious beating after a minor parking dispute.

"If anyone did not deserve to die the way he did, it was him. He didn't have one mean streak or bad bone in his body. He did nothing but good to everyone," Sabio said.

But police say what happened to 70-year-old Robert Sabio last Wednesday night on Springfield Avenue in Irvington was far from good.

He dropped off a friend and was pulling out of a parking space just in front of Casey's Tavern, when he bumped a car behind him. There was little or no damage but a dispute erupted. Sabio was badly beaten, rushed to the hospital, and died two days later.

An electronic message board on the street is now asking for help in finding the individuals from that other car.

"We would urge anybody who was in that area at the time to come forward," said Carolyn Murray, Acting Essex County Prosecutor.

As investigators examine security video and search for witnesses, those who live and work in this neighborhood don't seem surprised by the violent attack.

"It's a bad neighborhood. Stupid things happen here, frequently," said Bob Wibber, a store manager.

Senseless is how the Sabio family describes it, as they struggle with the loss of a beloved, husband, father, and grandfather.

"He's 70 years old. He had a bad hip. He wasn't real steady on his feet. They didn't have to do what they did," Sabio said.

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