It was a birthday that one Berks County cyclist will likely want to forget after police say he was attacked and stabbed by a group of teens.
It happened Saturday night on the Thun Trail near Reading Area Community College.
Investigators say Sean Rotiske and his friend were returning from his surprise birthday party when they rode past a group of nearly a dozen teenage boys. Those boys allegedly attacked the two men, striking Rotiske in the head and stabbing him in the left shoulder three times before fleeing the scene. Rotiske’s friend was not hurt.
“I could see as I got a couple bodies past me, that’s when it happened,” said Rotiske. “Somebody hit me on the side of my head and that’s really the last thing I remember until I escaped and caught back up with my buddy on the other side of the bridge. I don’t remember being stabbed and I don’t remember striking a bridge.”
Police say the motive of the attackers is unclear though they believe they were trying to steal Rotiske’s bike.
Saturday’s alleged attack is the third violent incident to happen on the trail in the past year, according to investigators. In January of 2012, police say a 65-year-old man was attacked by three juveniles. During that incident, the man shot and killed one of the teens and injured another.
In September of 2012, Luis Salas-Ramos, 41, was found dead on the trail. During that incident, police believe Salas-Ramos was beaten up somewhere in Reading and then taken by car to the trail to be “finished off.”
Police continue to investigate the latest incident. If you have any information, please call the Cumru Police Department at 610-777-9595.
