Eleven teenage boys in Chicago face felony charges after allegedly luring and assaulting two gay men using dating apps in July 2024.
According to a statement from the Mount Prospect Police Department, the suspects, aged 16 and 17, were inspired by a viral social media trend known as “post and boast.”
The attacks occurred minutes apart on July 8, 2024, in Mount Prospect, Illinois. At approximately 9:45 p.m., a 41-year-old man was ambushed by a group of teens in a parking lot after arranging a meeting via a dating app. The teens verbally confronted the man, physically attacked him, and vandalised his vehicle. The victim managed to flee but was pursued briefly by the group before escaping.
Ten minutes later, a 23-year-old man was similarly attacked after being lured to another location through a dating app. After fleeing in his car, the man discovered his tyres had been slashed. Stranded, he sought help from a nearby resident, who called 911. The victim was taken to a hospital by the Mount Prospect Fire Department for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Police investigators reviewed surveillance footage of one attack and identified several suspects. Their investigation linked 11 juveniles to one or both incidents, with charges filed against the group between November 11 and November 20, 2024. The teens face multiple counts of aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, and mob action. One suspect was also charged with hate crimes for using racial and derogatory slurs during the assaults.
Detectives noted that the attackers appeared to emulate similar assaults circulating on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, where perpetrators record and share their crimes to gain online attention.
“These incidents should serve as a serious reminder for parents to talk with their teenage children about the consequences of participating in dangerous social media trends,” Mount Prospect Police Chief Michael Eterno said.
The incidents underscore a troubling pattern of violence linked to dating apps and social media trends, with similar “post and boast” attacks reported across the United States and other countries.
