Local officials are turning up the pressure after a brutal attack on two teenagers in Manhattan Beach Park left a 17-year-old with devastating eye injuries. The assault happened in late June near Oriental Boulevard and Mackenzie Street, and one of the teens was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center. Assemblymember Michael Novakhov gathered residents in the park for a press conference to walk them through what happened and to spotlight a growing reward for information.
As reported by Brooklyn Eagle, Novakhov used the July 8 press event to announce that the reward has climbed to $13,000 and to push for community tips. State Sen. Steve Chan pledged another $1,000 on the spot, saying, “I will personally pledge another $1,000 to the reward, from my own pocket.” Other officials at the mic pressed witnesses to step forward and vowed to keep the case in the public eye. Novakhov also made a point of addressing local Ukrainian and Uzbek communities as part of a broader outreach effort.
How the attack happened
Police told Brooklyn Eagle that around 9:20 p.m. on June 23, a group of males approached two teens, ages 17 and 18, inside the park and suddenly attacked. Officers say the suspects punched and kicked both victims, then took off before police arrived. Novakhov identified the younger teen as Valentyn and said he was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition but later lost vision in one eye. According to police, the 18-year-old victim declined medical treatment at the scene.
Witness accounts and where to call
A Russian-language community outlet that visited the family shared additional eyewitness details and practical instructions for reaching investigators, reinforcing officials’ pleas for any video or firsthand accounts. ForumDaily urged anyone who was in or near Manhattan Beach Park at the time of the attack and might have information to call the NYPD’s 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611, noting that neighbors are already trading footage and stories from the block. At the press conference, community leaders including Steve Barrison of the Bay Improvement Group stressed that tips can be shared anonymously for those worried about retaliation.
Officials told Brooklyn Eagle that the investigation is very much active, with detectives hoping the reward, along with tips and any surveillance clips, will finally crack the case. No arrests have been announced, and investigators say they are still combing through video and interviewing witnesses. Neighbors say the attack has rattled their sense of safety in a park long viewed as family territory, and local leaders insist they will keep pressing law enforcement until there are answers.
