The Examiner spoke with the family of Bobby Gavin, 21, and his cousin Jonathan Herring, 19, who were brutally beaten over Memorial Day weekend while enjoying a family holiday at their grandmother's house in Wildwood.
Wildwood, New Jersey has a wonderful, bustling boardwalk and lovely beaches, offering a much-needed respite for holiday goers during the Summer months. Sadly, however, with the influx of people, the Jersey shore can also attract a criminal element.
The Examiner spoke with the boys’ grandmother Cecelia Rampolla, Jonathan’s mom Nicole Mastromarino, as well as Deeanna and Robert Gavin, Bobby’s parents, who expressed frustration with the local police, and described the night that would change their life.
The Attack
The cousins were on their way home from the boardwalk between 1:00 and 2:00 am when they walked past a group Herring described as “five Hispanic men between the ages of 25-35.” One of the men said, "You don't belong here," and asked some "strange questions," as reported first by Sean Streicher of the Cape May County Herald.
The young men attempted to walk away, but instead were both viciously attacked and beaten for no apparent reason. Neither of the boys were robbed.
Jonathan suffered a “bump on his head,” and torn ligaments in his jaw and neck. A teary Cecelia said Jonathan could “only eat soft food for three weeks.”
Bobby’s injuries, however, were quite severe. At the time of the beating, Deeanna and Robert could not get an immediate flight from their home in Florida, so they drove to New Jersey.
Deeanna described her son's physical and emotional injuries (his sinus cavity was crushed as shown in his x-ray [see slideshow] and his left eye is now kept in place by a mesh plate attached to titanium that was screwed into his skull). Before the beating, Bobby was a confident young man who was three weeks away from getting his electrician's license. He was very trusting and “would talk to anybody,” Deeanna said, something that always made her a bit nervous.
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