A 27-year-old man was shoved and kicked into a departing Orange Line train at Back Bay Station on Tuesday evening, in an attack witnesses say unfolded in front of stunned riders and ended with the victim bleeding from the head on the platform.
According to bystanders who rushed in to help, the man suffered a head laceration but was conscious and alert as medics arrived. Onlookers tended to him while waiting for first responders. The group of juveniles accused of attacking him ran from the platform before officers could move in, and Transit Police detectives have opened an investigation.
MBTA Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan told Boston.com that the confrontation took place near and on the platform at about 6:46 p.m. “At one point the victim was kicked, the force of the kick propelled the victim backwards as an MBTA train was departing,” he said. Emergency medics were called to treat the man, and detectives are reviewing station surveillance footage. Boston.com reported that by Wednesday morning there had been no arrests.
Transit police seeking witnesses and video
Investigators say they are actively working leads and are asking anyone who recorded the incident to share their footage with detectives. Station security video is also under review. The Boston Globe has previously reported on similar cases where juveniles were arrested in connection with assaults on MBTA property, a pattern transit officials say they are trying to confront as probes move forward.
Riders recall chaotic moments on the platform
A Reddit user who said they assisted the victim described a chaotic scene on the platform and wrote that EMTs arrived roughly 10 minutes after the attack. Other commenters reported seeing groups of teenagers on motorized bikes near Back Bay earlier in the evening. Those firsthand accounts, included in the post above, line up with Transit Police statements that the victim was bleeding from a head wound and needed immediate care.
Renovation work adds to Back Bay tension
Back Bay Station is in the early phase of a concourse renovation that has brought scaffolding and temporary closures to parts of the station, a project Streetsblog Massachusetts reported began in February. Riders and officials say construction can shrink usable platform space during busy periods, something transit planners have pointed to when talking about safety and passenger flow upgrades.
How to help investigators
Transit Police are urging anyone who witnessed the attack or has video of it to come forward. Riders can text tips to 617-600-0683 or use the MBTA “See Say” app, and should call 911 in an emergency. The City of Boston also directs people to the 617-600-0683 tip line for reporting suspicious activity on transit. Detectives say video is most useful when riders keep original files intact and note the correct timestamps before submitting.
