Three people have reportedly been arrested after a video of a boy being forced to strip naked before getting whipped on the streets of Newark, N.J., went public and ended up in the hands of local authorities.
The video, described as “sickening” by Newark police director Samuel DeMaio, was removed from YouTube after gathering more than 40,000 views, but mirror copies exist—and they’re pretty tough to watch.
What’s worse is the conditions under which the beating occurred. As one individual charged with the beating explains late in the clip, the beatdown was over the victim’s father owing another man a $20.
The three charged have not been identified, though The Newark Star-Ledger reported that one of the boys arrested is a 19-year-old and that another was the cameraman.
Mayor Cory Booker held a press conference on the arrest this afternoon. Details of any information provided therein has yet to be released.
Photo via EveningTelegraph/YouTube, h/t Hypervocal