Crime & SafetyUpdated: Nov. 13, 2025, 5:50 a.m.|Published: Nov. 13, 2025, 5:50 a.m.
A 12-year-old boy suffered a split lip requiring stitches and a loosened front tooth after he was assaulted at a park in the vicinity of Tysens Lane and Mill Road on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.(Courtesy of Mona Awad)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A 12-year-old boy with special needs was brutally attacked on Halloween night at a New Dorp park — an assault his mother says was a case of mistaken identity.
Police are investigating the incident, in which the boy, who was hanging out with friends at around 8:20 p.m. in Gerard P. Dugan Playground at Tysens Lane and Mill Road, was cornered by a group against a fence. According to his mother, Mona Awad, the attackers repeatedly punched him in the face with brass knuckles.
Scott R. Axelrod is a breaking news reporter for the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com. He covers a range of topics from crime and trending entertainment news to profiling the borough’s most unique residents. He… more
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