95 accord starting problem

had an old man come up to me outside a store, holding his keys. asked me
if i could start his car for him. i thought mebbe he has arthritis or
something and cant work the key. he must have been in his 80s or so.

anyhow, i open the car, sit inside, turn the key. lights
(lamp check) go on on the dash... but they dont go off. when i turn it
to start, car clicked once, lights stayed on.

he ended up calling AAA, but anyway-

was this an infamous main relay prob?
starter switch?
maybe the codealarm alarm was malfunctioning?

car had 114k miles, A/T. horn, interior fan, and lights worked well,
from what i could tell- so it might not have been a battery prob.

woulda been cool if i coulda banged once on the dash, like fonzie... and
started his car for him!