A pack of teens pummeled and assaulted two kids on Oct. 13 at the southwest corner of Prospect Park, further concerning neighbors with the boisterous and intimidating punks who roam the area after school lets out.
A longtime resident of Windsor Terrace, Tom Prendergast, heard the screams on Friday afternoon and rushed to his window to see the fracas.
“These animals [were] punching these two guys out,” said Prendergast, who has lived on Prospect Park Southwest near Prospect Park West for 38 years. “They actually punched [one] out and broke his glasses.”
The building’s super then called the cops, but the kids had scattered by the time the undercover officers arrived. The victims were too afraid to talk because they said they were afraid that the punks would come back for them later, Prendergast said.
But the incident isn’t the first of its kind in the area.
“This is ridiculous because these aren’t 9-year-old kids, it’s high school. They’re totally undisciplined,” said Prendergast, who said he heard one of the kids mention that he goes to a local high school.
The commanding officer of the 72nd Precinct, Raul Pintos, said he is working closely with Bishop Ford HS on nearby 19th Street to keep an eye on students even after school lets out.
There are three police officers and one sergeant stationed at the school to monitor the rambunctious teens, Pintos said.
“We try to facilitate school dismissal as safely and as effectively and as efficiently as possible, but sometimes, due to resources, we can’t put as many people as we want in there,” he said.
Bishop Ford President Ray Nash did not immediately return a call for comment.
