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Investigation continues into death of Edgewood man following struggle inside neighbor's home

The death of a 53-year-old Edgewood man following an altercation inside a neighbor's home earlier this week remains under investigation by the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

The dead man, who police have said was an intruder, walked into his neighbor's home Tuesday evening and struggled with one of the residents before his death, the cause of which has yet to be determined.

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Joseph Augustine Breckenridge, of the 2000 block of Rockwell Street in the Harford Commons neighborhood, entered a home through the unlocked front door Tuesday around 4:40 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.

The woman living there was alone on the first floor and, upon seeing Breckenridge, ran out the back door to another neighbor's house, where her husband was, according to Monica Worrell, spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

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The woman's impression was that Breckenridge was there as an intruder, not as a guest, according to Worrell.

"She wanted to get out," Worrell said of the woman.

Worrell said Breckenridge and his neighbors knew each other enough to say "hello," but not intimately.

Harford Commons, originally constructed as housing for defense workers during World War II, is a series buildings, each typically with three to four homes, similar to rowhouses. Worrell could not say if Breckenridge's home was in the same building as the home he entered or across the street.

The woman's husband and his neighbor, also a man, headed back to the residence to get Breckenridge to leave, Worrell said.

"They tell him to get out of the house, [Breckenridge] doesn't and a struggle ensues," Worrell said, describing Breckenridge as a larger man and the husband and his neighbor as smaller. "They can't get him out of the house and they're holding him down on the ground when police arrive."

When the responding deputy tried to lift Breckenridge up to put him in handcuffs, the deputy realized Breckenridge was not conscious and was not breathing, Worrell said.

The deputy retrieved his AED, began CPR and requested paramedics. Emergency medical personnel from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company responded and took Breckenridge to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 5:30 p.m.

The two men who were holding down Breckenridge did not know he was unconscious, Worrell said, adding that from the time Breckenridge entered the home to the time police were called, only about 10 minutes had elapsed.

"We will not understand the full picture of this until we get the autopsy report back because we don't know what killed him," Worrell said.

When asked when those results would be available, Worrell said she was told by the Office of the Chief Medical examiner "science takes time."

Police searched the area and questioned neighbors about Breckenridge to determine if there have been similar issues in the past. Citing an ongoing investigation, Worrell said she couldn't comment on what neighbors might have told deputies.

The sheriff's office and Harford County State's Attorney Office determined that no charges will be filed at this time, according to a news release Worrell issued late Tuesday, which also said the investigation would remain active until a cause of death is determined.

A woman at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Wednesday she could not give out any information and that their media representative is out of the office until next week.

There are no prior criminal proceedings involving Breckenridge listed in Maryland's online court records.

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