On July 10th, 13-year-old Sara Puk was attacked and punched in the face from behind outside McCarren Park Pool after she and her friends went swimming, in the most vicious of violent incidents against patrons since Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool re-opened a few weeks ago. (Photo: Paul Martinka)
In the chilling cell phone video recorded by one of the assailants, you can see the attacker run after the 13-year-old and punch her in the face from behind, then laugh. (Image: via gothamist)
The Parks Department continues to down-play the numerous incidents. A spokeswoman called the latest a “skirmish" which "among kids are unfortunate but nothing new.” And despite the fact that six people have been arrested and police officers have been injured, and last week a 16-year-old was stabbed 7 times and almost murdered in the park after playing baseball, the spokesperson said, "The park and pool are safe.’’
Brooklyn
A 13-year-old girl was punched in the face and needed surgery for a broken nose in the most vicious in a series of violent incidents since Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool re-opened last month.
Eighth-grader Sara Puk told The Post the trouble began as she and two friends were splashing around.
“We were screaming at each other, but it was like playing around,’’ she said yesterday.
An older girl said something to her, which she didn’t understand.
When she asked, the girl yelled, “Shut up!’’
Trying to avoid trouble, Sara and her friends changed and left.
But when they passed through the exit, they found the older girl and four members of her posse waiting.
“We just kept on walking,’’ Sara said, recalling her actions on July 11.
Area in front of Abate Playground on Lorimer Street in McCarren Park where 13-year old Sara Puk pleads with her attackers (center-below) moments before she was punched in the face from behind. Five girls followed her and two friends from inside the pool and terrorized them afterwards. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft)
A screen capture from the first sickening video posted on You Tube, entitled, Alicia jus smacked her. (We have blurred the faces)
“They started following us. I was trying to stand up for myself, I was like, there’s five of you guys there’s only three of us, we’re really little,’’ she said. “I was scared, it was five against three.”
One of the older teens got in her face and declared, “I’m going to hit you and I’m just going to walk away.’’
Sara and her friends started running, but the older girls caught up. One made a video, which was posted on YouTube.
One of bullies yelled, “Go get her!’’ Sara said.
That’s when Eva Hawley, 16, allegedly landed a right hook to her nose.
“She’s jumping up and down, hysterically, laughing,” said a source who saw the YouTube video before it was taken down.
The older girls then took off and Sara, holding a towel to her bleeding nose, sat on a bench.
The attackers came back, one of them ripped the towel away and laughed.
“You are a bad-ass bully,” a Hawley pal gloated. “You f--ked up her nose good.”
“They were tormenting her and laughing,” the source said. “The victim starts to cry and they are mocking her for crying.”
They finally left and Sara and her friends approached a parked ambulance, which took her Wyckoff Heights Hospital.
Doctors had to operate on her nose, which had bled for three hours.
Hawley was busted after Sara recognized her at a festival at a local church and told her mom, who notified cops. She was given a desk-appearance ticket for misdemeanor assault.
Another girl, 14, was issued a juvenile report.
The attack is the fourth violent incident since the Williamsburg pool reopened on June 28 after a $50 million renovation.
On June 29, a brawl broke out when lifeguards told teens not to do backflips. Three days later, a cop was punched in the face. And on July 17, a punk battled lifeguards and an NYPD deputy inspector.
But the Parks Department has not acknowledged a serious problem.
“Summertime skirmishes among kids are unfortunate but nothing new,” Parks spokeswoman Vickie Karp said. “The park and pool are safe.’’
Local residents disagree.
“There’s just too much of a criminal element here,” said Tanya Reed, 27. “It’s a beautiful pool, but I would never take my 2-year-old daughter here.”
The violence has sparked memories of the bad old days.
“People should be grateful, but they’re fighting,” said a 69-year-old Greenpoint resident, who was jumped at the same pool in her teens. “It started all over again — it’s like the 1950s. It’s a darn shame.”
Read More:
New York Post - July 20, 2012 - By Dan MacLeod and Jessica Simeone
A Walk In The Park - July 19, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - July 17, 2012
A Walk In The Park - July 15, 2012
A Walk In The Park - July 12, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - July 10, 2012 - Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - July 5, 2012
A Walk In The Park - July 4, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - July 3, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - July 2, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - July 1, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - June 30, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft
Wonderful, way to go. Thanks for bringing this glorious pool to our neighborhood your tiny little highness. What a way to spend $50 million, on a gold embossed invitation to terrorize our neighborhood. Shut the pool down.
ReplyDeleteThank you for continuing to cover the events in the parks and pools. Especially in McCarren Park and Pool. Most informative.
ReplyDelete