Who is Frank Penkava? Florida man, 42, beaten to pulp for asking neighbors to turn down music
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA: When he urged his neighbors to tone down their loud music, a Florida man was reportedly beaten to a pulp and made unrecognizable to his family early in the morning of June 14, news outlets reported on Wednesday, July 28. It has been a month since he has remained in hospital for the heinous beatings, and there have been no arrests made yet.
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In the incident which news outlets reported on Wednesday, the Florida man, Frank Penkava was placed in a medically induced coma at Memorial Regional Hospital with many fractures in his face after he was beaten up by his neighbors for asking them to lower their music. He remained in the hospital on Tuesday as doctors waited for him to stabilize before operating.
Frank Penkava was brutally beaten more than a week ago, and has been in a medically-induced coma for most of the time since. His family has created a @gofundme to help pay medical bills and raise the @crimestoppers2 reward for info.
— Ian Margol (@IanMargolWPLG) June 23, 2021
Click here to help 👉🏻 https://t.co/CB9egFyvsz pic.twitter.com/QCSjQycWsg
Who is Frank Penkava?
Frank Penkava is a 42-year-old man from Hollywood, Florida. His family is wondering if he'll ever be the same. Speaking to NBC Miami, his mother Joan Penkava said, “It’s horrible. No mother ever wants to see their kid ever ever beaten up like that. I’ve never seen anybody beat up like that."
Speaking to WPLG, she said, "My son has a little boy. He is going to be 4 years old — he is beautiful and he may never know his dad". “We don’t know what damage has been done mentally, let alone all of the physical issues he has. It’s very disheartening,” she added. "I just want him back and I want him to be okay".
The violent attack happened on June 14, early in the morning. Penkava's flat on Johnson Street near North 26th Avenue was visited by crime scene investigators on Tuesday. Penkava's sister thinks he went to urge a neighbor to turn down the volume on their music, but something went horribly wrong.
'Justice for my brother. Hollywood, Florida man beaten into coma asking neighbors to lower music. No arrests one month later. https://t.co/awpBL6iCdt #Frank Penkava #loud music
— Scallywagandvagabond (@ScallywagNYC) July 28, 2021
"There is no reason for what they did to him. I understand that people get into altercations all the time and people’s emotions are high, especially over the last year, but there was nothing to warrant what they did to him," Penkava's older sister Gina Horvath said. She claimed that her brother's tattoos were the only thing that helped her recognize him at the hospital. Doctors have attempted surgery five times, but his family claims they have not been able to stabilize him sufficiently.
Horvath put up a GoFundMe for Penkava. In the bio, she wrote, speaking about her brother's condition: "He has been in ICU in a medically induced coma for the last 9 days.. He needs life-saving surgery however he is not stable enough. He has a long road ahead and many surgeries in his future. He has been in a medically induced coma for 9 days now.. he is not stable enough at this time to do surgery. This means he will be in the hospital for a long time."
She described Penkava as "son, brother, father, friend and an amazing man", and added that the family want to raise money to give a reward for information leading to the arrest of these offenders, as well as pay bills and retain attorneys.
Penkava's family claims he had mental health issues in the past, but he was a composed man who could not have justified such a brutal beating, even if it had been in self-defense. "He went to work, did his job and paid his bills. He didn’t bother anybody. So for anybody to do what they have done to him, I am seeking justice and I will not stop until I have justice for my brother," Horvath said.
Doctors are examining the man's brain activity to see whether he has any permanent brain damage, according to the station. Horvath said he has numerous damaged bones and also contracted an infection at the hospital. She claims that someone dialed 911, but she and her family don't know who it was and that they've had trouble receiving answers from cops.
Police request anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.