Fox News weatherman claims he was beaten on New York subway ‘for defending elderly man’
A Fox News weatherman has alleged that he was assaulted by a group of teenagers after he attempted to stop them from harassing another rider on the New York subway.
Adam Klotz, appearing to be bruised following the altercation, said in a video posted to Instagram that he was on his way home from watching the New York Giants at a bar when he spotted “this older gentleman was being hassled by this group of seven or eight teens”.
“I was like, ‘Yo, guys, cut that out.’ And they decided, ‘All right, if he’s not going to get it, you’re going to get it.’ And boy did they give it to me,” he said. “They had me on the ground. My ribs are all bruised up, too. They got their hits in.”
Law enforcement said that the 37-year-old was on the number one train at about 1.15am when the incident took place, according to the New York Post.
The teenagers left the train at the 18th street station.
Three suspects, two aged 15 and one 17-year-old, were arrested, police said.
“Juvenile reports were prepared, and their parents were called to pick them up,” a spokesperson for the New York police department said.
The agency said on Sunday that police didn’t have the option to charge the teens because of their ages and because the crime appeared to be a misdemeanour, the Post noted.
The New York City Law Department said in a statement to the outlet that the victim has to lodge a complaint with the Department of Probationâ before the agency is able to get involved.
The probation agency would then choose if the case should be sent on to the Law Department for prosecution.
In 2019, the age for trying a suspect as an adult was raised from 17 to 18.
Mr Klotz received treatment at Bellevue Hospital for his injuries.
In the video, he appears to be unaware that the teens were released without charges being filed.
With two black eyes, he joked “you should see the other guy”.
“My side, don’t laugh, my side is so much worse than my face. And the thing is the other guy is not really a guy. It’s children. Five or six children,” he said.
“Where are the parents?” he asked, according to the Post. “Parents, watch your children.”
Regarding the older man, the meteorologist said, “he’s fine”.
“And the cops grabbed a couple of these kids, and, you know, I got X-rays. I’m OK. This is all going to heal. So, it’s all good,” he said.
“New York City! What a place. The Big Apple,” the weatherman from Indiana added.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Klotz for comment.
