I guess this is what they mean by being scared to death.

Police in Philadelphia are investigating an attack on 36-year-old man on a subway platform in Philadelphia that resulted in his death.

What exactly caused his death is not precisely clear.

Here’s what police believe happened. The man was confronted by a group of teens in the middle of the afternoon on the crowded platform not far from City Hall.

A scuffle ensued. A SEPTA patrolman who was on the eastbound side of the tracks described the encounter, which was on the westbound side. He said the man appeared to be in a “defensive posture.”

At least one of the youths was seen taking a swing at the man. Eventually they fled.

But the ordeal was not over for 36-year-old Sean Patrick Conroy, of South Philadelphia, who had just gotten off his shift as the manager of the Starbucks at the Marriott at 12th and Market streets. Not even a little bit.

Conroy was clearly in distress, suffering difficulty breathing, chest pains and palpitations. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

One teen is now in custody. Three others are still being sought. The 16-year-old is charged with murder and conspiracy. The motive for the attack is not known.

But the result is pretty clear. We are not safe. Not anywhere.

We shake our heads and try to understand how something like this can happen at any time, let alone in the middle of the afternoon. How it can occur in a deserted station, let alone on a crowded El platform a stone’s throw from City Hall. And how it can happen in full view of passersby and others.

It leaves us shaken, wondering how it can happen, and when it might happen again.

Certain of only one thing: It can happen to anyone, at any time, in pretty much any place.

Scared to death? Yeah, very scary, ugly stuff.