Birthday Bash

At nine in the evening of April 26, a 27-year-old man from Howell, NJ met with his friends at a downtown nightclub to celebrate his birthday. They stayed at the club until closing time, when patrons were asked to leave the premises. The man exited the club with his friends and then did not recall any further details until he regained consciousness at a downtown hospital with a crushed-in right-side skull fracture and his right eyeball hanging out of its socket. One of the victim's friends confirmed that he had transported the victim to the hospital by taxi at 4:50 a.m. The doctor at the hospital concluded that the injury was sustained most likely by the heel of an unknown perpetrator kicking in the victim's head. The victim requires reconstructive surgery and may face the possible loss of eyesight in his right eye. The victim's friend stated that there were 500 to 600 people outside the club on Varick and Prince Streets when they left the nightclub, causing the birthday partiers to get separated. When the victim's friend met up with the victim again, he saw blood covering his face and asked what had happened. The victim replied, "I just want to go home." $1,000 of the victim's cash had been stolen. The victim's friend stated that the birthday party participants were heavily intoxicated but had not been causing trouble. No arrests have been made.