Police are looking to identify a group of teenagers riding e-bikes after a man says he and other walkers were assaulted on a Methuen, Massachusetts, rail trail last Friday.
The incident happened on Oct. 16 at about 5:35 p.m. near the Nevins Farm MSPCA animal shelter. Surveillance images posted by police show seven boys, believed to be between 15 and 17 years old, on e-bikes.
Greg Curtis spoke out at a Methuen City Council meeting Monday night. The self-described senior citizen said he was taking a "pleasant walk on the rail trail" when suddenly he felt a painful blow to the back.
"I was being assaulted, blindsided, punched," he said. "They all had their hoods up. One of them turned around and smiled, the one in the red hoodie, at what he had done."
Curtis told WBZ the attack was completely unprovoked. "This teenager with a red hoodie punched me in the back and the power of his e-bike moving at 30 miles per hour is what really delivered a painful blow to my kidney," Curtis said.
Curtis said he talked to three other women on the path who said they were also assaulted and that the teens were swearing at them. Another woman also said she was almost knocked over and was afraid she'd be hurt, Curtis said.
"They were just terrorizing people on the trail," Curtis said.
Curtis said he's fine, but thinks something needs to be done about teenagers recklessly riding e-bikes. The Medford School Committee has considered banning e-bikes on school campuses because of a rise in accidents over the past several months.
Instead of seeking punishment, Curtis told WBZ he wants the teens to turn themselves in so they can walk the trail together and talk it out.
"If you come forward, I will not press charges, but there's a catch," Curtis said. "Thirty days, 30 days of walking the rail trail with me, and maybe I can hear you out, get to know you a little bit, and you can get to know me as a person not as a target."
Methuen Police Chief Jamie Moore said the teens' behavior is unacceptable. "This should never have happened," Moore said. "This gentleman was out taking a walk minding his own business and something like this happens. We don't appreciate that and I think it was uncalled for."
Police say it's believed the teenagers were coming from Lawrence and heading north toward Salem, New Hampshire. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
