The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is searching for a group of young perpetrators they say punched and kicked a 14-year-old boy at a Brooklyn train station earlier this month.
NYPD’s Crime Stoppers released a chilling video of the attack at the Van Siclen Avenue train station just before 4:00 p.m. on March 14.
Watch Below:
The video appears to show members of the crew punching the victim while he tries to shield himself in a corridor. Once they get the victim on the ground, they unleash a barrage of kicks and punches to the defenseless child, the video appears to reveal.
Police said the crew approached the 14-year-old, who did not know them, and asked the teen if he knew somebody, the New York Post reported. Before he could respond, they attacked, police said.
Authorities said the 14-year-old was struck in the head and the body. “The victim suffered swelling and bruising and sought medical attention on his own,” WABC noted.
Police obtained the above video after one of the perpetrators shared it on social media, News 12 said.
Crime Stoppers also released surveillance video of the suspects, which offers a glimpse at some of their young faces.
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The surveillance footage is from when the suspects fled the scene following the attack, according to News 12.
The brutal beating comes as frequent and egregious subway crimes have been plaguing New York City’s subway system. On March 8, Christian Jeffers, 48, a male to female transgender suspect, allegedly struck an Asian man in the head with a hammer, Breitbart News reported. He was charged with assault, aggravated harassment, and menacing — all as hate crimes — and criminal possession of a weapon.
The incident followed another brutal hammer attack on February 24 at the Queens Plaza subway station. Reportedly homeless man William Blount, 57, allegedly repeatedly bashed 57-year-old New York City Heath Department Scientist Nina Rothschild in the head with a hammer, leaving her with a fractured skull, Breitbart News reported. He then allegedly snatched her purse.
He has been charged with attempted murder, assault, and robbery.
Crime in the city has seen a substantial jump under Democratic Mayor Eric Adams’s watch. Since he was sworn in on January 1 through March 20, the seven major felony offenses have seen an alarming 45.2 percent rise compared to the same period in 2021, the NYPD’s crime statistics show. During the same period, transit crimes are up 75 percent compared to last year.