By Jessica McSweeney and Penry Buckley
An ugly brawl involving around 40 youths which erupted at Manly Wharf has shone a light on teen antisocial behaviour in the affluent beachside suburb.
A local couple were enjoying dinner when shortly after 9pm on Monday they spotted the group appearing to kick and punch a young teenage boy in the middle of the street.
The couple, who posted about their experience on social media in a bid to find the boy’s parents, rushed into the street to try to stop the assault. Simon, who did not provide his last name, said the group turned on his partner Renee when she tried to intervene.
“Somehow we managed to run him across to the bus shelter where we all took another kicking,” he said.
“I was bottled and Renee was spat on multiple times. Then we ran him across to Fratelli’s who sheltered him.”
The couple put themselves in harm’s way, blocking the entrance to the restaurant while the teen escaped. Simon said he wanted to find the boy’s parents so he could describe to them just how confronting the violent scene was.
Police broke up the brawl but no arrests were made. Credit: Manly Observer
“He was literally screaming for his life,” he said.
Police found a large knife on the street when they arrived to disperse the group. It was taken into evidence, but no arrests have been made.
A knife was found on the ground.Credit: Manly Observer
“Upon arrival, police were told about 40 people, many of whom were believed to be juveniles, were fighting,” a spokesperson for NSW Police said.
“Most of the people left the scene once officers arrived and no one reported injuries.”
The incident didn’t surprise local businesspeople, who described how large groups of youths intimidate people near the wharf.
Itaaz Singh, who works at Fone Galaxy on The Corso, did not witness Monday’s brawl. However, he said altercations between large groups of teenagers were common.
The 31-year-old told the Herald he has seen “a couple of big fights around here, especially around the wharf”, including one of a similar size this time last year.
“Within 10 minutes, the whole police station was here,” he said.
Itaaz Singh, who works at Fone Galaxy at Manly, said he has witnessed large groups of teens behaving badly. Credit: Penry Buckley
Singh thought the groups, which were mainly a problem in the summer months, were coming from other suburbs on the ferry. “When they’re a group, it gets scary,” he said.
Duc Tai Nguyen, manager of the Vietnam Why Not restaurant next door to Fratelli Fresh, heard the brawl on Monday night.
He said crime had been a problem in the area recently, and shared CCTV which appeared to show a youth vandalising Vietnam Why Not’s street signage just before 3am on Sunday morning.
“I’ve reported it to the police,” he said. “Now in Manly, it’s so crazy.”
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said large groups of young people occasionally caused trouble in Manly, but in her experience the police were quick to disperse them.
“It’s disappointing because we used to have an Aldi at the wharf, an area where people could get cheap alcohol – that’s been closed down now, but it’s still an issue of young people congregating. For the community I recommend if they see something, report it,” Heins said.
She praised the local couple for intervening and saving the young boy.
“This couple went above and beyond … may I say a huge thank you on behalf of the community.”
Having more teen-friendly third spaces – places other than workplaces and school – is one way Northern Beaches councillor Bonnie Harvey would like to see to keep teenagers off the streets.
She said a movie theatre, arcade or a youth centre at Manly could encourage teens to gather in places away from alcohol.
“Manly is such a hotspot, we get thousands of people passing through day and night, especially over school holidays,” she said.
“It’s easy for people to get into a moral panic about the youth of today. This is a very small number of kids. The grander scale of kids are getting frozen yoghurt in The Corso.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.