'Lifelong Trauma': US Teen Wearing Spider-Man Costume Subjected To Brutal Bullying

A 15-year-old boy from New York was bullied brutally that it led to a bloodied and broken nose. The clip of the incident has been doing rounds on the internet. It shows Aydin Pedone from Hudson Falls surrounded by a group of bullies. New York Post reported that he was lured to a local park where this incident happened. Upon being cornered, a girl approached him. She tried to hit him in the face. However, Aydin was able to dodge the first hit. As soon as he began to regather himself, the girl hit him on the nose. She then walked away laughing. The bullies were also seen hurling insults at him and filming him. Aydin Pedone was seen knocked back against a fence. When he was able to pull himself together, he took off the Spider-man mask and revealed a mangled nose.

New York Post also reported that the teenager had to require a procedure to heal his nose. The incident has not gone unnoticed by online communities. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the teenager. It has raised over $10,000 (over rs 8.21 lakh) to help fund Aydin’s martial arts training. What’s more, a superhero-themed cookout was organized at the park where he was assaulted. It was a symbolic gesture to take back the park. Cosplayers from the United States have recorded videos of support and shared them under the hashtag “Aydins Heroes”

Aydin’s mother, Shellie Pedone shared her thoughts on Facebook. She wrote, “My son was attacked for the purpose of bored teenage entertainment, targeted for being different than them, and viciously attacked because of having the courage to stand out from the crowd and be himself.” She added, “He has that kind of heart that only sees the good in people. Is this the kind of kid that deserves to have his nose broken, unprovoked, and witnessed by nearly a dozen peers standing around to watch, record and laugh at him?”

The mother of the 15-year-old also remarked on how the bullying began. Aydin still liked Spider-Man when he got to the sixth grade and that was not okay with his bullies. “So the abuse began, starting small with words, pokes and shoves, snuck up on and kicked, and just kept growing,” she wrote. “He thought if he increased freely expressing his true self he could save the school and stop the bullying, even if it meant the bullies focused on him, he thought that was at least taking their focus off someone else and he was still helping someone.”

The girl who assaulted Aydin was arrested and charged with one felony count of assault in the second degree. This was revealed by the Hudson Falls Police Department. Furthermore, her guardian has been issued a juvenile appearance ticket. They have been ordered to appear at the Washington County Probation Department.