March 16, 2011
-
New York teenager ‘beaten to death by anti-gay party-crashers’
A New York teenager was beaten to death last week by homophobic party-crashers who shouted anti-gay slurs, witnesses said.
Anthony Collao, 18, who is understood to have been straight, was punched, kicked and beaten with a pipe. He died after two days on hospital life support.
Four teenagers – Alex Velez, 16, of the Bronx, and Nolis Ogando, Christopher Lozada and Luis Tabales, all 17 and from Queens, were arrested after Saturday night’s incident in Queens.
Witnesses told the New York Daily News that the party, in a disused warehouse, had been hosted by two gay men.
It was claimed that the suspects had stormed in shouting anti-gay abuse and refused to pay an entry fee.
Sources said that college graduate Mr Collao then left the party with a friend, fearing trouble.
But he was chased by the gang, pinned against a car and “beaten to within an inch of his life” with punches, kicks and a metal pipe, witnesses said.
One of the suspects, Christopher Lozada, was reportedly found wearing the victim’s baseball cap, while the others were covered in blood.
Mr Collao, whose family runs an ice cream business, died on Monday.
Comments (16)
That hits sort of close to home… I knew there was violence here I just didn’t realize there was still anti-gay violence.
It is still shocking the way human beings treat each other just because they are different.
It’s a shame people are still so violent to people who are different.
I find it particularly interesting that Collao was just a straight guy at the party. It really illustrates the point that you can’t tell whether someone is gay or not just by looking at them. Ignorance and hatred, meet irony.
Disgusting and sad. That poor kid.
This actually made me cry. People are fucking sick.
I don’t even have words for this senselessness. It makes me incredibly angry.
People just disgust me.
simply horrific, disheartening and it makes me angry as hell. having lived in manhattan most of my life the city is mostly occupied with people who are tolerant and get along but then i hear about these kinds of monsters and incidents and it makes me sick.
i just can’t stand people sometimes. atrocious.
sad
That’s horrible! I honestly can’t believe how disgusting people can be sometimes.
This is a real shame. Really disgusting of what these men (if you can call them that anymore) did.
Ugh…
really wonder how the family of the victim goes through all these..They must be devastated…
MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILY
This kind of attack just brings home just how homophobic people still are
Thanks for posting this – it is important to remeber the fear that our gay brothers and sisters still have to live with.
Rebecca @Pastel Accounting