Several Concord Juveniles ID’d After Videos Surface Of Epsom Teen Being Pummeled In Penacook Park: Follow-Up

CONCORD, NH — The family of a boy who was jumped and pummeled in a Penacook park earlier this month said their son will be OK despite sustaining serious injuries in an attack that involved close to a dozen kids against one earlier this month.

Concord police have identified several students involved in the incident that occurred at Rolfe Park in Penacook on May 12. The boy was attacked due to issues with a former girlfriend from two years before, according to his family. The boy lives in Epsom and attends Pembroke Academy, while the girl attends Merrimack Valley High School.

According to the victim’s family, in June 2024, their son was accused of harassing the MV girl after a breakup.

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The parents of both teenagers became involved in resolving the issue. A member of the boy’s family told the girl’s family there would be no more communication between the two, according to screenshots of messages obtained by Patch.

“My apologies if he’s caused her any distress,” the family member said to the other family member. “He will not be contacting her in the future.”

The boy’s family said they immediately enrolled him in a supervised residential treatment center to deal with his adolescent challenges. They also thought the entire incident was behind them.

Fast forward two years, and the harassment allegation became an assault allegation.

The Epsom boy began to be targeted by the girl’s new boyfriend, another MV student, as well as others, according to the family. After ignoring several invitations to fight, the students met at Rolfe Park in Penacook on May 12.

According to videos and other information Patch received, several teenagers hid behind a shed at the park. Four suspects attacked the boy and when he landed on the ground, other students came out of hiding to join in on the riot. Another half dozen or so watched, including at least one girl who appeared to be recording the fight with her phone. Two other girls recorded the fight from a vehicle in the parking lot.

Several attackers could be seen stomping on the victim’s head while the victim was on the ground.

After the incident, the family of the victim said they reached out to both school districts and the police to identify the assailants.

The day after the Rolfe Park fight, another fight broke out at Concord High School between the new girlfriend of the Epsom boy and one of the attack suspects.

After the fight, administrators at Concord High School learned about the riot at Rolfe Park, according to Concord School Superintendent Tim Herbert.

The girl involved in the fight was suspended and given a cease-and-desist letter to stay away from four boys who were suspects in the attack, according to a document obtained by Patch.

“The definition of contact is broad,” Kris Gallo, the principal of Concord High School, wrote to the girl, “so, it is not possible to list all the behaviors that may constitute contact.”

Gallo said texting, social media, and in-person communication, “including gestures,” would be considered banned. The girl was expected to stay at least 10 feet away from the four boys and avoid eye contact with them. She was also expected not to communicate with other students about the four boys.

“We will do our best to support your academic success at Concord High School,” Gallo told the girl.

The public learned about the incident a week later, when an edited video was posted on the Info NH Facebook site.

The family said there were at least two videos of the incident — one seen by the public a week later and another taken by someone else who witnessed the fight. Police, they said, identified several suspects from the second video, reportedly taken by a girl who was standing near the fight scene.

Interim Concord Police Chief Barrett Moulton confirmed police were still working on the case.

“Concord police detectives are currently investigating this incident and interviewing witnesses and those involved to gather more information,” he said. “They are reviewing the actions of everyone connected to the case and will coordinate with city prosecutors to determine appropriate charges. The nature of this incident is concerning, and the department is taking it very seriously.”

Moulton would not speak about the specifics of the case due to minors being involved and the incident being an open investigation.

It is unknown what charges the suspects could face, but given prior cases, even with minors, they certainly could see second-degree assault and/or rioting charges, both felonies, as well as simple assault charges.

Herbert confirmed a timeline of when the school district learned about the incident, but would not speak about specifics of the case due to the involvement of juveniles. He said some students were given “short suspensions,” challenging a rumor that some suspects were not punished due to at least two boys being the children of educators in SAU 8. Herbert said, overall, when incidents occur outside of school, administrators “evaluate the safety of individuals in the building” before taking specific actions against students. Limited punishment would be given to students in the district for incidents outside the school unless there was a direct danger inside the school, he said.

A day after the video surfaced, Randy Wormald, the superintendent of the Merrimack Valley High School, said he did not know anything about the alleged incident, despite the involvement of students in the district.

The family said their child sustained serious injuries, including a concussion and significant bruising all over his body. They admitted the injuries could have been much worse. They also denied their son assaulted the girl but did not defend his prior behavior of harassing the girl, which they ended, and then got help for their child, they said.

The family said the attackers range in age from 15 to 17.

Patch received several tips about suspects involved in the riot and many of their names were confirmed by the family and documents.

The family also said none of the students nor their parents had reached out to the victim or the family to apologize or offer to contribute to offset hospital bills.

Patch has reached out to the parents of a couple of the suspects, requesting comment and asking why none have offered apologies or assistance with medical bills, but none have responded.

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