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Group of white teens 'brutally' attack Black 16-year-old at Brooklyn subway station: police

By and
Published  March 28, 2025 5:20pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 5 NY

Subway assault of black teen probed as hate crime

A 16-year-old Black teen was brutally beaten inside the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station while on his way to school, and the NYPD is now investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Surveillance video circulating online shows a group of teens, believed to be white, assaulting the boy, using racial slurs, and even stealing one of his shoes. FOX 5’s Duarte Geraldino reports from the scene.

The Brief

    • A Black 16-year-old was attacked by a group of white teens at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn.
    • The attackers hurled racial slurs at the victim and posted a video of the incident to Instagram, according to reports.
    • The victim's mother demands answers and action, while police have arrested a 16-year-old suspect facing multiple charges, including hate crime and robbery.

NEW YORK - A group of white teens "brutally attacked" a Black 16-year-old at a Brooklyn subway station, hurling banana peels at the victim and calling him racial slurs during the beating, according to police and news reports.

"He didn't deserve that. These thugs are terrorizing Black children in this neighborhood. I want something done," the victim's mother, Monique Whyte, said at a Friday press conference.

What we know:

The incident happened on Monday, March 24, on the platform of the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station. According to police, the suspects threw an object at the victim, assaulted him and used racial slurs during the attack.

One of the attackers reportedly stole one of the teen’s shoes during the incident.

Monique Whyte

Whyte said this attack wasn't about hurting her son: this was about humiliating him:

"A video circulated of my son being brutally attacked. Not once, but twice, in this train station. And I have questions. I wanna know why," Whyte said. "They threw a banana at him. It hit him in his face. The beat him … they posted pictures of him on the floor."

The Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station

The victim declined medical attention at the scene but later went to NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health for treatment related to head injuries.

The video of the incident was briefly posted to Instagram and circulated online before being taken down, law enforcement sources said.

Police say a 16-year-old male suspect has been arrested and is facing five charges, including second-degree hate crime, second-degree robbery, third-degree hate crime robbery, third-degree robbery, and second-degree hate crime gang assault. Another 14-year-old was reportedly arrested.

What's next:

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is continuing to investigate the incident. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the assault to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

The Source: This article uses information from the NYPD, the victim's mother's press conference and the New York Post.

Crime and Public SafetyNYPDConey Island