Group of teenagers pushes man into moving Orange Line train at Back Bay Station, witnesses say
MBTA Transit Police said they are investigating an assault after a group of juveniles attacked a man on the platform of Back Bay Station and pushed him into a moving train.
The incident happened around 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Transit Police. The 27-year-old had a laceration to his head. The group involved ran off in different directions.
Back Bay Station attack
WBZ-TV spoke with a local nurse who was at the top of the stairs in Back Bay Station as the teenagers started to run off. She said she saw the man laying on his back, bleeding from his head and knew she needed to step in.
"My first immediate reaction was to help him because I think he was in shock. He was just laying there," said the nurse, who did not want to give her name due to privacy concerns. "The transit cop was applying pressure to the laceration on his forehead. It was a decent amount of blood, but he was alert oriented. I was just keeping him verbally engaged."
WBZ-TV spoke with another witness over the phone who said the man told her the teens threw the victim's cellphone on the tracks. This witness reported seeing nearly a dozen teenagers running in all directions after the attack. Some managed to board the Orange Line train the man had been pushed against as it pulled away.
Unruly Orange Line passengers
Orange Line riders said seeing groups of unruly teenagers on trains and platforms was nothing new.
"It's always teenagers riding their bikes going really fast into the cabins or something like that," Ana Aviles said.
Other passengers said they try to keep a low profile when riding the train.
"I feel like I need to take precautions and I have to be on the lookout," said one Orange Line rider.
"I do feel safe but sometimes people come in and sit on the train and they are kind of not good vibes. They will sit on the train and do drugs and stuff like that. People bring their kids on the train and they shouldn't be seeing that," rider Naturi Wells added.
WBZ-TV reached out to the MBTA for comment regarding Tuesday night's incident but did not hear back.
