Suspects ID'd in subway attack on teen with autism; 1 in custody
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- Three teen suspects have been identified and one is in custody after a 15-year-old boy with autism was attacked on a subway train last week.
A 14-year-old boy arrested Tuesday night is charged with aggravated harassment, misdemeanor assault, harassment and menacing. His case will be handled in family court.
The two other suspects have been identified and detectives are working to bring them in.
It all comes after a video posted to social media showed a young girl dragging the teen victim by his sweater on a northbound A train at West 181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue shouting while a pack of kids followed - cursing and using racial slurs.
The teen's mother spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News on Monday and did not want to be identified for fear of her and her son's safety.
"I refuse to watch that video. Nobody wants to see their kid being assaulted," said his mother.
The teen was ultimately surrounded and pummeled in the face multiple times.
The teen has high-functioning autism and his mother says the attack happened during the rush hour commute - 5:30 Friday evening.
New York City Transit President Richard Davey called the video 'heartbreaking and disturbing in a statement, saying,
"Our hearts are with the young man seemingly being senselessly victimized. No one should be subject to this sort of hateful harassment while they are riding with New York City Transit, and the MTA is fully cooperating with the NYPD in its investigation into the incident."
The victim's mother says she was aware her son had gone out for the evening but was shocked to get a call from police saying he ended up in the hospital a great distance from their Queens home.
They are now looking to learn from this terrifying experience.
"Keep a close eye on them. Because a lot of trouble could have been avoided had I done that," she said.
The teen needed stitches, but his mother was concerned about the mental impact more than anything. She says her son does not know the teens who attacked him or why.
NYPD Hate Crimes is now looking into the attack because of anti-Black slurs that were being tossed around.
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