Featured Image Credit: The New York Post
Topics: no article matching, Spider Man, Real Life
A video has caused widespread shock online after a 15-year-old US teen dressed as Spider-Man was seemingly lured to a park and assaulted by others his age.
As reported by The New York Post, the 15-year-old in the video is middle schooler Aydin Pedone from Hudson Falls, New York. The teen was left with a broken nose after he was set upon by a group of bullies. The clip shows a group of similarly aged youths surrounding Aydin, who was dressed up as Spider-Man, taunting him.
One girl then approaches Aydin, swatting him across the face. The teen was able to somewhat dodge the majority of the blow but then the girl hit him once again across the nose, walking away laughing. Aydin stepped back and took off the mask, at which point you could see the blood on his face.
The New York Post claimed that Aydin was left requiring a procedure to heal his nose. The girl, who remains unnamed, was reportedly arrested and charged with one felony count of assault in the second degree according to the Hudson Falls Police Department. The girl’s guardian was issued a juvenile appearance ticket and will be ordered to appear at the Washington County Probation Department.
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Understandably, the cruel behaviour exhibited in the video has led to an outpouring of support for Spidey fan Aydin. A GoFundMe page has raised over $10,000 which will be put towards martial arts training for the teen. A superhero-themed cookout was also organised in the park where the attack took place and fellow cosplayers turned up in their droves. The hashtag #AydinsHeroes soon began trending online.
Aydin’s mum, Shellie Pedone, took to Facebook to comment on the incident. She wrote, “My son was attacked for the purpose of bored teenage entertainment, targeted for being different than them, and viciously attacked because of having the courage to stand out from the crowd and be himself. He has that kind of heart that only sees the good in people. Is this the kind of kid that deserves to have his nose broken, unprovoked, and witnessed by nearly a dozen peers standing around to watch, record and laugh at him?”
“Parents start paying attention to what your children are doing, who is influencing them while they grow, and how they treat others, especially before they get to middle school,” she added. “Maybe these kids need to stop thinking less of him, seems to me they might actually need to learn a few things from him. Learn a little empathy and understanding, it’s your type of behaviour making this world so ugly.”