Massachusetts man attacked on rail trail offers teens chance to make amends
By Todd Kazakiewich
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METHUEN, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A man who was attacked by a group of teens on a popular walking trail in Methuen, Massachusetts, last week has a message of hope and an offer for his assailants.
The assault occurred on Oct. 16 around 5:35 p.m. on the Methuen Rail Trail near the Nevins MSPCA shelter.
Greg Curtis, 63, said he never saw the attack coming.
“Suddenly, I was blindsided and punched in the back, very painful punch to the kidney,” Curtis said.
According to Methuen police, the group that attacked Curtis consisted of seven light-skinned juvenile males between the ages of 15 and 17.
Curtis said when he looked up at the group, the teen who hit him looked back.
“I was still in pain, I was stunned, and to look up and see this teen was smiling at what he had done to a 63-year-old man,” Curtis said. “My concern is how can they enjoy that? How is that fulfilling to them? What does that do for them?”
Investigators said the group was operating four e-bikes, three of which had two occupants on the back. Two of the juveniles on the e-bikes were wearing red-hooded sweatshirts while one was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt with red sleeves, according to police.
“We don’t want anybody in Methuen feeling they can’t go out and take a walk on the rail trail and mind their own business. It’s just not acceptable,” said Methuen’s Interim Police Chief James Moore.
Surveillance photos indicated the group was traveling on the Rail Trail from Lawrence, heading northbound toward Salem, New Hampshire.
Curtis is now calling on the teens to turn themselves in, and he won’t press charges.
“But there’s a catch,” he said. “30 days of walking with me on the Rail Trail.”
He hopes they can find the good in one another.
“We all need to be respected, but we also need to be able to come together and understand each other. And I believe that there’s good in these teens,” Curtis said.
Anyone with information about the group or the alleged assault is asked to contact Methuen police.
“At last night’s City Council meeting, a member of our senior community bravely shared that they had been physically attacked from behind on the Methuen Rail Trail by a group of juveniles riding e-bikes, who reportedly laughed as they fled the scene. It’s not funny. It’s disgusting,” said Mayor D.J. Beauregard. “Help us find the punks responsible for this cowardly attack and make sure they’re held accountable.”
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