A soldier’s mother is speaking out after her son was brutally beaten by a group of thugs around the holidays.
19-year-old Austin Freni had just arrived home from Georgia to spend the holidays with his family. Things didn’t go quite as planned, though.
On New Year’s Day, while leaving the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia, a gang of 10-15 men attacked Freni, allegedly because of his Army jacket.
Freni, who was due to serve in the Middle East in 2017, suffered severe facial injuries in the attack and ended up in the hospital.
“He's got to get plates put in his jaw and his mouth will be wired shut for the next eight weeks,” said his mother. “He's such a good kid, he did not deserve this.”
Lori Freni, who lost her job following the death of her husband, was ready to sell her possessions to pay for her son’s trip home. After setting up a GoFundMe page, though, a good Samaritan covered all travel expenses.
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