A Panmure man is recovering from a violent attack on Auckland’s Eastern train line that left him with a broken eye socket, a concussion, and severe distress, The New Zealand Herald reported. The attackers, a group of around 12 young people, also stole his $500 headphones.
Anthony Nein, 45, was travelling from Britomart to Panmure on an afternoon commuter train when the group boarded and began acting disruptively. According to Nein, they appeared intoxicated and immediately became hostile when he refused to let one of them sit beside him.
“One of them sees my expensive pair of headphones and decides she wants to sit next to me,” Nein recounted. When he refused, the group became aggressive. “The group then started going off at me. One of them spat on me.”
The situation escalated quickly, with the youths assaulting Nein. “They jumped on me, punching me in the head. One of them grabbed my testicles, and another managed to grab my headphones and got away with them.”
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He added that two other passengers were also assaulted and had their phones stolen, with the attacks continuing until the train reached Ōrākei station. “[There were] approximately 12-13 youths aged between 12 and 17,” Nein said.
At Ōrākei, the train conductor intervened and removed the group from the train. Before leaving, one of the youths smashed a bottle of spirits against the train window.
Nine of the attackers were later apprehended by police, and Nein praised their response. However, he criticised Auckland Transport (AT) for their lack of action. “I got a generic response when I made the complaint, telling me that if I ever feel in danger because of antisocial behaviour, I should hit the emergency button or call 111,” he said.
“If anyone had bothered to review the security footage, there was no way anyone could have done that.”
The attack has left Nein with lasting injuries, including PTSD. “I spent a week laid up in bed. I’m going to have a CAT scan to see how severe the damage is,” he said.
AT’s Public Transport Operations group manager, Rachel Cara, confirmed that the incident occurred on November 18 at around 3:45 pm. She stated that the train was delayed briefly at Ōrākei station to address the situation.
“During this incident, an adult passenger received minor injuries and was promptly given first aid treatment onboard by the train manager,” The New Zealand Herald quoted Cara.
AT handles over 1.7 million passenger trips weekly, and incidents like this are rare, she added. “We work closely with our train team and transport officers after incidents like this to ensure we deploy our teams to the right places to deter antisocial behaviour and provide reassurance to our passengers and crew.”
Cara condemned the behaviour, calling it “totally unacceptable,” and affirmed that AT is collaborating with police, partner agencies, and communities to enhance public safety.
Police have yet to comment on the investigation.