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(NEW YORK) — A transgender teen was allegedly assaulted by a large group of teens in Massachusetts, and police are investigating it as a possible hate crime.

Jayden Tkaczyk, 16, was at an outdoor party in a wooded area in Gloucester on Friday night when the alleged incident occurred.

His attorney, Craig Rourke, told ABC News that the attackers “stomped on his head” and “hurled insults at him” during the attack.

“We consider this to be a hate crime,” Rourke said. “The perpetrators’ motives seem pretty clear from their own words.”

Jayden suffered a fractured orbital, permanent nerve damage, a black eye and bruising to his legs and torso, Rourke said, and was treated at a hospital for his injuries. He has since been released.

The Gloucester Police Department said in a news release that “the parties involved in this incident are known to each other.”

A detective trained in civil rights investigations has been assigned to lead the case, police said, and a department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the incident “is being investigated as a possible hate crime.”

“The investigation remains ongoing and no determination has been made at this stage,” the police spokesman said.

The teen had previously been bullied for being trans, Rourke said.

Jayden, who attends a local vocational high school, joined the Gloucester High School football team last year but quit after just a few practices because “the bullying got so severe,” according to Rourke.

Jayden told ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston that the attack began “in the blink of an eye.”

“One second I was having fun and the next I was on the ground being stomped on and punched in the face,” Jayden said.

“They kept repeating the insult over and over again while hitting me and stomping on me,” she added.

Her mother, Jasmine Tkaczyk, told WCVB she was “really angry” about the incident.

“Seeing the condition he was in has always been my worst fear as a parent of a trans teenager,” she said.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office told ABC News that they were “aware of serious allegations of assault of a Gloucester teenager by other teenagers.”

“The office is working in conjunction with the Gloucester Police Department on this active and ongoing investigation involving youth groups and as such we are unable to provide further comment at this time,” they added.

Gloucester Public Schools Superintendent Ben Lummis said in a statement that the district and school leaders “understand the seriousness of the recent allegations and are handling them with the highest level of concern.”

The school district is “actively cooperating” with the police investigation, Lummis said.

“We are at a very early stage of what will likely be a complicated investigation,” Lummis said. “Any decisions made going forward will be based on the outcome of this exhaustive investigation.”

Lummis said there were “many rumors and conflicting information circulating on social media” about the incident, and urged students and families to “give police and schools time to conduct methodical and accurate investigations.”

Gloucester Police Chief Edward Conley said they were “treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness”.

“We ask the public to allow the investigation to continue without rushing to judgment,” Conley said.

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