Montrose
Registered
City man alleges he was victim of hate crime
Friday, July 06, 2007
BY MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
TRENTON -- A city man, who has a disability, claims he was targeted for attack by a group of young black males solely because he is white. Police confirmed yesterday the compliant is under investigation.
"I was the victim of a hate crime," said Mario Dagostino, 48, of Liberty Street.
The assault -- during which Dagostino was punched in the face by three bicycle-riding teenagers -- allegedly occurred Monday as Dagostino was on his way home from work.
Trenton police spokesman Lt. Ed Gonzales said Dagostino reported the incident to the department, and that detectives have been assigned to investigate.
The case was in a very preliminary stage, he noted yesterday, say ing, "We're looking into it."
Dagostino said the incident happened about 4:40 p.m. Monday, just minutes after he got off a bus at the corner of Liberty and South Broad streets. The Trenton resident, who said he has a form of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, that makes it difficult for him to use his hands and walk, was on his way home from the state Department of Health and Senior Services, where he has worked for nearly 30 years.
Dagostino said he was going to the RiteAid pharmacy to pick up some cold medicine.
As he was cutting through a nearby bank parking lot, he said three young boys rode up to him on their bicycles and attacked him.
"Three young African-American kids rode up on their bikes toward me and punched me as they went by. They said, 'Take that, whitey.' After they hit me, they rode off laughing," he said.
He said the two older boys hit him square in the jaw. He described them both as about 14 years old and 5 feet 8 inches tall. One weighed about 170 pounds and the other about 140 pounds.
Despite his disability, he said, he managed to use his hands to block the blow of the youngest boy, who looked to be about 10 years old, he said.
After the attack, Dagostino said he went into the RiteAid and asked a pharmacy employee to call police for him.
After nearly 90 minutes of waiting for an officer to arrive, he said he finally gave details of the crime to the police over the phone. On Tuesday, another officer phoned him at work to take a more de tailed account of the attack.
"My jaw is sore today. They swung at me pretty good," Dagostino said Tuesday.
http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1183694957287960.xml&coll=5
Friday, July 06, 2007
BY MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
TRENTON -- A city man, who has a disability, claims he was targeted for attack by a group of young black males solely because he is white. Police confirmed yesterday the compliant is under investigation.
"I was the victim of a hate crime," said Mario Dagostino, 48, of Liberty Street.
The assault -- during which Dagostino was punched in the face by three bicycle-riding teenagers -- allegedly occurred Monday as Dagostino was on his way home from work.
Trenton police spokesman Lt. Ed Gonzales said Dagostino reported the incident to the department, and that detectives have been assigned to investigate.
The case was in a very preliminary stage, he noted yesterday, say ing, "We're looking into it."
Dagostino said the incident happened about 4:40 p.m. Monday, just minutes after he got off a bus at the corner of Liberty and South Broad streets. The Trenton resident, who said he has a form of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, that makes it difficult for him to use his hands and walk, was on his way home from the state Department of Health and Senior Services, where he has worked for nearly 30 years.
Dagostino said he was going to the RiteAid pharmacy to pick up some cold medicine.
As he was cutting through a nearby bank parking lot, he said three young boys rode up to him on their bicycles and attacked him.
"Three young African-American kids rode up on their bikes toward me and punched me as they went by. They said, 'Take that, whitey.' After they hit me, they rode off laughing," he said.
He said the two older boys hit him square in the jaw. He described them both as about 14 years old and 5 feet 8 inches tall. One weighed about 170 pounds and the other about 140 pounds.
Despite his disability, he said, he managed to use his hands to block the blow of the youngest boy, who looked to be about 10 years old, he said.
After the attack, Dagostino said he went into the RiteAid and asked a pharmacy employee to call police for him.
After nearly 90 minutes of waiting for an officer to arrive, he said he finally gave details of the crime to the police over the phone. On Tuesday, another officer phoned him at work to take a more de tailed account of the attack.
"My jaw is sore today. They swung at me pretty good," Dagostino said Tuesday.
http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1183694957287960.xml&coll=5