Thursday, October 1, 2026
County police arrested three area teenagers, one from Baldwin, last week and charged them with assaulting a fellow teen and hurling anti-gay slurs at him during a bus ride home from a Hicksville BOCES school. Police classified the assault as a hate crime.
Roy Wilson, 16, of Baldwin, David Spencer, 18, of North Valley Stream, and Chase Morrison, 16, of Lakeview slapped and kicked the 14-year-old boy at around 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 12, police said. The trio began taunting the boy on a school bus heading home from the Cantiague Rock Road BOCES complex. Spencer and Morrison made disparaging remarks about the victim’s sexual orientation using the words “bitch,” “gay” and “faggot,” according to Lt. John MacEwen, commanding officer of the 2nd Precinct.
As the verbal harassment escalated, the victim walked to the back of the bus, where he was followed by all three teens, who physically assaulted him, police said. According to MacEwen, they slapped him in the head and face and stomped on and kicked his arms, stomach and legs. Reacting to the attack, the bus driver stopped the bus and told the boys to sit down or she wouldn’t continue driving, MacEwen said. A pregnant bus aide was present on the bus.
The victim did not report the assault to school officials until the following day, after a morning bus ride during which the trio threatened to “get him” later that afternoon, according to police. School officials immediately reported the incident to the victim’s parents and to police, who are still investigating.
“We are committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students,” said BOCES spokeswoman Mary Quinn. “Aggression, bullying or harassment of any kind is not tolerated. This matter was reported to the police as soon as we learned of it, and we continue to work cooperatively with them.”
It was unknown at press time why the bus driver and the aide failed to report the incident to school officials or police.
Spencer and Morrison were charged with second-degree harassment, and all three teens were charged with third-degree assault. Coupled with the hate-crime classification, the misdemeanors are considered class E felonies, according to Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey.
