Woman Assaulted In Verona Park, Says Assailants Were Montclair High School Students: Police

Verona, NJ - Police are investigating a reported assault that may have taken place in Verona Park on Memorial Day weekend, authorities said.

According to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, an 18-year-old woman told police that she was punched in the face during an encounter with three juveniles while walking in the park around 10 p.m. on Saturday.

The woman told police that her companion, a 21-year-old man, allegedly tackled two of the three teenage suspects to the ground, but let them up after one claimed to have a gun, authorities said.

Although the victim told police that the suspects identified themselves as Montclair High School students, an Essex County Sheriff’s Office spokesman told Patch that her allegation couldn’t be confirmed.

No weapon was actually seen during the encounter, a police spokesman told Patch.

The victim gave officers the following descriptions of the three juveniles:

• Juvenile #1 – 5 feet 4 inches, 115 pounds, spiky brown hair and wearing a baseball cap
• Juvenile #2 – 5 feet 7 inches, with curly “dirty blonde” hair, wearing a pink shirt, baseball cap and with a  black eye
• Juvenile #3 – 5 feet 7 inches, wearing headphones, a baseball cap, blue jeans and a gray t-shirt

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File photo, Verona Park: Wikimedia