A disturbing video now circulating on neighborhood social media shows a teenage girl lying on the pavement after being stomped in the face by a group of teens at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood, Bronx. The clip appears to have been recorded near the recreation center's basketball courts on Wednesday around 4:30 p.m., and local residents have been sharing screenshots across neighborhood social groups while asking for help identifying those involved.
According to Norwood News, the roughly one-minute video shows several youths surrounding the victim while one girl repeatedly stomps her head and others either strike her or film the attack. The outlet reports the footage was first posted to a local Facebook group and that parents and neighbors urged anyone who recognizes the teens to check in. Norwood News also says the NYPD and EMS told reporters they had no reports that matched the time and details provided when the outlet inquired.
Where it happened and the security context
The Williamsbridge Oval has been at the center of ongoing safety concerns since last summer's fatal stabbing, and elected officials have pressed for lighting and camera upgrades. Coverage of new cameras and brighter pole lighting notes that they have been installed around the rec center and park, but neighbors say they still have questions about who monitors the feeds, how the equipment is powered and when footage will be made available to investigators or families.
How it echoes last summer's fatal stabbing
The latest footage has reignited fears about violence in the Oval. Last August, 14-year-old Ángel Miguel Mendoza Hernández was fatally stabbed at the same playground, an attack that sparked arrests and demands for more oversight. As CBS New York reported, multiple teens were arrested and charged in the Mendoza case, and local leaders pushed for the safety upgrades that are now being installed.
Family identifies the teen and says she was missing
Norwood News later published an update in which the victim's mother identified the girl as 16-year-old Samantha Carattini and said her daughter had been reported missing earlier this winter. The mother told the outlet she watched the circulating video, contacted police and wants to review park-camera footage to learn what happened and where her daughter went after the incident. Norwood News also reports NYC Parks staff told reporters they could not grant immediate public access to the new cameras.
How to report tips
Anyone with information about the assault or the identities of the teens in the video is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers. The department lists its tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS and a Spanish hotline at 1-888-57-PISTA, and it also accepts anonymous tips online through its Crime Stoppers portal, according to the NYPD's public information pages.
