BUFFALO, N.Y. -- People we spoke to who say they were friends of the man killed in a fatal crash outside Rooftops Bar and Grill all used the same phrase to describe his death.
"Wrong place, wrong time," said Ron Dombrowski.
Police say the 44-year-old was standing on the corner of Reiman and Benzinger Streets around 3 AM Saturday when he was hit by a car.
Eric Dragone, 26, has been charged with second degree murder in connection with his death.
Laurie Rath lives next to the bar.
"We came downstairs and we saw somebody laying there on the ground and the police and the ambulance and everybody were there," Rath said.
"It was just heartbreaking to see someone laying there, dying," said her son, Justin Dombrowski.
Rath says the victim was a close family friend.
Few details were immediately available, but Rooftop's owner says the driver may have targeted someone else. She says Dragone and another man were in the bar but didn't drink what they ordered. A short time after arriving, she says they went outside and got into a fight with a third man. After the fight, she says they got into a car, drove up the street and floored it back towards the bar, where the third man was standing. She says he and several others jumped out of the way, hitting the victim.
Neighbors we spoke to say the bar is a disturbance.
"Fights every weekend, loud music, people yelling out in the middle of the street," said Ed Malkiewicz.
But the owner and three patrons say most nights it's a quiet place that doesn't see trouble.
Rath says one of the things that bothers her most is finding out too late the victim was her friend.
"If I knew it was him, I would've stayed with him," she said.
"No matter how bad the situation was, he would find a way to put a smile on your face," said Justin Dombrowski. "Just, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Police haven't released the identity of the victim. They say the investigation is ongoing.