Teen girl hospitalized after alleged park assault in Deer Park

A 14-year-old Deer Park girl was hospitalized after a chaotic confrontation at Fabio Buttitta Park drew dozens of teenagers and multiple fights, turning a neighborhood park into Suffolk County’s latest flashpoint over teen gatherings. Her family said the assault happened Tuesday evening, the last day of school, and that a crowd surrounded her as the situation escalated.

The family said several girls pulled the teen’s hair, knocked her to the ground and choked her while other fights broke out nearby. The video shared from the scene appears to show dozens of teenagers at the park and more than one disturbance unfolding at once, giving the incident the look of a group confrontation rather than a single argument between two people.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the Deer Park episode was the third large teen takeover in recent weeks, following similar gatherings at Robert Moses State Park and Smith Point County Park. Catalina said social media is increasingly fueling the gatherings, a warning that fits a pattern police have been tracking since school let out and warm-weather crowds began moving into parks and beaches.

At Robert Moses State Park, the problem had already drawn a heavy response. On June 5, more than 100 kids were present when a large fight broke out at Field 5, one person was injured and multiple agencies responded, including New York State Park Police, the Suffolk County Police Department and Babylon Town bay constables. Police increased patrols there that weekend after the disturbance, a sign that the response has shifted from a single-arrest model to a broader effort to keep crowds from forming in the first place.

The county’s summer park network helps explain why these episodes are becoming a public-safety concern. Suffolk County describes Smith Point County Park as a popular summer destination on the Fire Island barrier beach, and the county says seven county parks offer outer beach access. Those sites draw families, tourists and teenagers alike, which can make them vulnerable when online organizing pulls large groups together at the same time.

Catalina, who was sworn in as the 16th commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department in February 2025, now faces the challenge of stopping those gatherings before they turn physical. Suffolk County’s Community Relations Bureau says Community Liaison Officers and COPE Officers are assigned to each of the county’s seven precincts, giving local police and town officials a structure they can use to spot trouble early, build neighborhood contact and respond faster when a crowd starts to swell.