2 Philly kids charged with assaulting strangers in random-attack game called ‘Catch and Wreck’

2 Philly kids face charges in random-attack game

PHILADELPHIA — Two preteens assaulted a woman walking home through a playground as part of a violent game called “Catch and Wreck,” in which children identify targets they think are homeless and then beat and rob them for fun, police said Tuesday.

An 11-year-old boy was arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and robbery, Philadelphia police Lt. John Walker said.

A 12-year-old girl was charged shortly after the Friday night attack in southwest Philadelphia. The victim was surrounded by children, then punched and hit with sticks, police said. She suffered minor injuries to her knee and head and delayed seeking medical attention to help police with the investigation.

Police also plan to charge the boy in an attack on a 73-year-old man who was beaten and robbed in the same area on March 13, Walker said. The victim in that assault, Vincent Poppa, suffered a heart attack and remains hospitalized.

A spokeswoman for District Attorney Seth Williams said both children were being charged as juveniles. Their names have not been released.

Investigators believe the assaults are part of a game called “Catch and Wreck,” which children in the neighborhood described to them after Friday’s attack.

Children told police the game involves pinpointing passers-by they think are homeless and then beating and robbing them for fun, Walker said. The woman who was attacked, however, said she is not homeless.

“We’re just hoping it’s isolated and that (these arrests) will quickly bring it to a halt,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, who oversees all field operations for the department, said the recent reports of “Catch and Wreck” were the first the department had gotten.