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SEARCHA 15-year-old in Pennsylvania said he was hit with a metal rod while waiting for his bus. Authorities say his fabricated story brought in more than $4,000 in donations on GoFundMe.
A 15-year-old in Pennsylvania said he was hit with a metal rod while waiting for his bus, but authorities say he fabricated the story. Photo by Scott Davidson
LOWER PAXTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A teenager here raised more than $4,000 in donations after he said he was assaulted at his school bus stop last year, but investigators found that he fabricated the story.
The 15-year-old told authorities that while he was waiting for his school bus on Oct. 14, 2015, a car approached and someone struck him on the head from behind with a metal rod.
A GoFundMe account was set up to help the teen deal with his purported injuries, and he collected about $4,300 in donations.
The investigation told another story: Lower Paxton Township Police determined that the teen was not assaulted.
Last week, the teen was found guilty on charges of false reports to law enforcement authorities and theft by deception (failure to correct a false impression). He did not contest the charges in court.
Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico credited the Lower Paxton Township Police for their efforts to uncover the truth.
“This was an incident that caused many people within the community to be fearful — a child standing alone at the bus stop and being randomly attacked,” Marsico said. “The randomness of this situation caused many people to contribute to a fund to help aid this child. In the end, the thorough investigation showed that in fact the whole story was made up.”
The court ordered the teen to make restitution to everyone who contributed to the GoFundMe account. He was also placed on probation and was ordered to complete 75 hours of community service.
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