At least ten men have suffered from unprovoked attacks in the Boston, Massachusetts, suburb of Waltham since November 10 by an unidentified perpetrator, police said.
Each of the victims have been struck in the head with a blunt object causing injuries warranting medical attention.
The seemingly random string of attacks has put residents of Waltham on edge.
“There is definitely a fear factor in our city right now. We’ve never experienced anything like this,” Waltham Police Det. Sgt. Stephen McCarthy, the lead investigator probing the string of attacks, told reporters Tuesday. “I’d be lying to you if I said I’m not losing sleep at night, you know, coming into work. This is an awful situation.”
The attacks began November 10 at the Gardencrest apartment complex but have spread to downtown Waltham, which is located ten miles away from Boston.
The latest attack was the day after Thanksgiving.
All of the victims have been men, ranging in age from 20 to the mid-40s, Police Chief Keith MacPherson said.
“They’re pretty serious injuries, including orbital facial fractures, fractured nose, lacerations to the face. So we don’t believe it can be just someone’s fist,” the chief said.
The city has released surveillance images of the suspect that have led to some community tips, and the city is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.
It is unclear what sparked the attacks or if there is more than one perpetrator at large.
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