Army Soldier From New Jersey Brutally Beaten at New Year's Day Parade

A 19-year-old New Jersey man was brutally beaten after the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia on New Year's Day because of his U.S. Army service, his family says.

Lori Freni says that her son, Austin Freni, was attacked while walking with her by a group of young men who mocked his army jacket. FOX 29 had just featured the pair in a December segment when they reunited for the holiday season (see video below).

"He did not deserve this," she said. "His mouth is so swollen."

Freni was being treated this week for a broken jaw and other injuries at Jefferson University Hospital. His mother, who lives in the Atco section of Waterford Township, said his jaw will be under repair for eight weeks, and it's not clear what the injuries will mean for his future service in the Army.

"They were kicking him so hard that his ankle was swollen," his mother said.

Lori said Freni "just wants to return to Benning," or Fort Benning in Georgia, where he's stationed. "He just wants to get back home," she told Patch.

Austin Freni is a recent Hammonton High School graduate and had returned home for the holidays from Fort Benning in Georgia while preparing to deploy to the Middle East, his mother said.

Sgt. Eric Gripp, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department, was quoted as saying on nj.com that the incident occurred on the corner of Oregon Avenue and Third Street at 11:09 p.m. on Jan. 1.

A group of 11 or 12 men started making comments to the victim, and after an "exchange of words," the men started beating the victim in the face and body, according to the report.

His mother also said she and her son's girlfriend were also hit in the face as they tried to pull the men off her son. The men apparently fled the scene.

His mother said nearly all of the attackers were white and one was African-American. She said one man was videotaping the incident.

Police have asked anyone who witnessed the incident to contact police. Tips can be submitted via telephone at (215) 686-TIPS, by texting a tip to PPD TIP or 773847, or with an online form.

Video/photo: Fox29