A 14-year-old girl on Long Island is recovering after her family says she was jumped on the last day of school, in what Suffolk County police describe as another large teen takeover. The attack has renewed concern over a string of chaotic teen gatherings across the area in recent weeks.
Video from that day shows dozens of teenagers packing into a park in Deer Park on Tuesday afternoon. What began as a large gathering quickly descended into chaos, with multiple fights breaking out among the crowd as the situation spiraled out of control.
The mother of the 14-year-old victim says a group of girls pulled her daughter's hair, beat her to the ground and choked her, all while other altercations were unfolding nearby. She described it as a messy, chaotic scene with fighting happening all around.
The teenager was taken to the hospital following the attack. The incident is now under investigation as authorities work to piece together exactly what happened and to identify those who were involved in the assault.
According to county police, this is the third large so-called teen takeover in recent weeks. The gatherings have drawn big crowds of young people to public spaces, and in several cases they have ended in violence and disorder.
The Deer Park gathering follows similar incidents at Robert Moses and Smith Point County Park. Each has raised the same questions about how such large, spontaneous crowds come together and how they can be managed before they turn dangerous.
Police say more information is expected, with the county police commissioner set to address the latest incident. For families on Long Island, the worry is that what should be a celebration marking the end of the school year has repeatedly turned into something far more frightening.