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The unnamed man told investigators he saw a stranger walking up his driveway and break into his Adams home while he was parked down the street, the Berkshire County District Attorney said in a news release.
The man grabbed a small souvenir bat and went into the home and found Mark Bednarz attempting to drill into his gun safe, the prosecutor said.
“Despite being armed with the small bat, the homeowner decided not to hit Mr. Bednarz,” the Berkshire District Attorney’s office said. “However, the presence of the homeowner in the room startled Mr. Bednarz, prompting Mr. Bednarz to threaten the homeowner with the power drill he was using.”
A fight broke out between the two, with the men using the bat, power drill, and soup can as weapons until the 73-year-old restrained Bednarz.
The man rushed outside as Adams police arrived, and when officers went into the home, they found Bednarz unresponsive, the prosecutor said. They performed CPR and rushed him to an area hospital, where he died a day later.
The doctor who treated him at Berkshire Medical Center and an autopsy could prove that the fight played a role in his death, the prosecutor said.
They blamed Bednarz's death on fentanyl intoxication and cocaine use causing mechanical asphyxia, authorities said.
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