Teens Punched, Smacked Over Parking Spot At NJ Mall, Victim Says

DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, NJ - Taylor McFadden and her friends were getting ready to leave the Deptford Mall last week, but needed just a little more time when another car pulled up. They never imagined that waving the car along would lead to a vicious attack that left the teens hospitalized and police searching for the assailants.

McFadden, 18, said she and her two friends were leaving the mall on Friday, Dec. 7, when the assault happened. She got into the car, but her friends, Alexandra DeRusso and Tatum Bohanon, were standing outside it smoking when the other car pulled up.

“I told Allie to tell them we’re not ready to pull out yet,” McFadden said. “They parked two spots down.”

She said four adults, two men and two women, got out of the car and mumbled something as they walked by. One of the women then said to the teens, “I hope you’re not talking to us.” The two women then approached DeRusso and Bohanon, who are both 19, McFadden said.

“One woman smacked Allie, and the other punched Tatum and threw her against the car,” said McFadden, who called 911 at that point. “The men were yelling at the women to stop.”

When McFadden got out of the car, she said she then became a victim. One of the women pushed her head back, and she was punched.

“Someone punched me. I don’t know who it was, but the force was so hard, it felt like it was a man,” McFadden said.

McFadden was still a little hazy about what happened Tuesday morning, as she said it felt like the whole thing lasted about 15 minutes, but it was probably closer to two or three. She does remember one of the women telling them, “You white b------ are too comfortable.”

“I told her I’m half black and half white, and she said, ‘oh, I guess I’m not talking to you then,” McFadden said.

All three teens suffered concussions, and McFadden and Bohanon suffered sprains in their necks. DeRusso suffered two black eyes. McFadden provided the images below and the main image of her friends following the attack.

A spokesperson for the Deptford Township Police Department didn’t return a message seeking comment from Patch Tuesday morning, but confirmed to NJ Advance Media the police department is investigating the incident. They have identified a white Pontiac in connection with the incident, but no one had been arrested or charged as of Tuesday morning. McFadden still couldn’t believe what had transpired.

“People are trying to normalize it, saying that’s what it’s like this time of year,” she said. “It’s not normal. They’re grown adults. They could’ve asked me to move and I would’ve moved if they just gave me a second, but there was no communication, and they didn’t try to work this out.

“Even if the men didn’t do anything, they still let this happen. They could’ve intervened, but they didn’t.”

The images in this post were taken and provided by Taylor McFadden.