Man badly beaten in Chelsea bat attack

A man who police said was badly beaten with a baseball bat in Chelsea yesterday “looked like he was going to work,” according to a youth whose family awoke to the horror in their neighborhood.

The victim, a male in his 30s, was in serious condition at Massachusetts General Hospital yesterday, police said.

He was found on a Congress Avenue sidewalk outside the John Silber Early Learning Center at 7:45 a.m.

State police were later seen removing a long object from a Dumpster on school property and wrapping it in a paper bag before carrying it to a crime-scene services truck.

A green evidence cone marked a pool of blood on the sidewalk.

“We went outside and we saw the guy lying down. We saw two police cars. They called for an ambulance. They tried to pull him up by the hand, but his hand just dropped back down. I thought he was dead. I saw a lot of people trying to help him,” said a 10-year-old boy who saw the aftermath, whose mother allowed him to speak to the Herald on the condition he not be identified.

“I’d never seen the guy,” the boy said. “He looked like he was going to work. He had a backpack.”

Chelsea police are investigating along with state police detectives assigned to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office.

No arrests had been announced as of last night.

Chelsea police said witnesses told them the victim was attacked by a black male approximately 6 feet tall, who was wearing a camouflage jacket.

He fled on foot, police said.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the assault to call Chelsea police at 617-4664800.

Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous can call the department’s 24hour hotline at 617-4664880 or email information directly to its website at www.chelseapolice.com.