New York teen beaten and shoved out of window in disturbing Snapchat video, police investigating
Shocking footage doing the rounds on social media shows a teenage boy being beaten up and thrown out a window in upstate New York. The footage, taken on Snapchat on December 13 in Clarence, New York, shows a teenager being assaulted, stepped on, shoved around and then ultimately being pushed out of a window. As the boy was being beaten up by a group, others were heard laughing in the background.
In the graphic video, one person was heard saying "kick hard" during the incident, while another person was heard saying "go home." In a separate video taken by someone else, the boy, after being thrown out of the window, was seen covered in mud and blood on some parts of his body. The height of the window from the ground is not yet known. The footage was reportedly publicly shared on a Facebook page called Niagara Action, where there were multiple allegations made about the video. One of the allegations suggested that "the aggressors got the victim drunk, beat him up, and then dumped him out of a second-story window to punish him for allegedly raping a female friend." The claims made in the Facebook group have not been verified.
Shortly after the video went viral, a Change.org petition was set up, which claimed that the boy was "severely beaten, drug out into the woods to die, and suffered serious injuries." The petition, however, has since been deleted. A statement was eventually released by the Erie County Sheriff's Office (ECSO), confirming that "agency personnel has talked to the victim and their family as well as photographed the victim’s injuries." The statement continued: “The Sheriff’s Office is aware of a social media video and rumors about the incident and the victim’s injuries. Deputies can confirm that victim sustained an injury, sought medical treatment, and was released. Many of the injuries detailed in social media posts are greatly exaggerated or even false.”
The Snapchat video shared on the Facebook page of Niagara Action had text written across the clip, reading: “Ya'll Clarence people wildin’.” The text was followed by crying face emojis. Reports state that charges have not yet been filed in the case as the ECSO is currently investigating the incident and has assigned “multiple Deputies and Detectives to the case.”
The Sheriff’s Office, in its update on the case on Friday, December 18, wrote: “Over the last several days, the Sheriff’s Office has talked to the victim, subjects, and to parents or guardians. The law enforcement professionals assigned to the case have learned much about the incident. However, the Sheriff's Office cannot discuss topics surrounding the incident because of the continuing investigation."
"As with many cases, there is more to the incident than what many have seen in the media or on social media platforms. The Sheriff’s Office asks for the public’s patience as ECSO personnel continue their work,” the statement added. The investigation in the case is currently ongoing and no more details were available as of Sunday evening, December 20.