Beaten for telling off firestarters
A CUNY administrator was punched and kicked by a group of teenagers after he chided them for starting a fire in a Staten Island playground, police sources said Thursday.
Robert Kee, 49, was walking to a work event at the College of Staten Island, where he is a coordinator of student leadership development, when he saw a group of teens starting a blaze in Lt. Lia Playground in St. George about 12:10 p.m. Wednesday.
He told them to knock it off and they turned on him, according to police sources.
One youth punched him in the back of the head, and then the others joined in, punching and kicking him.
Kee was taken to Richmond University Medical Center with a collapsed lung and bruises on his face, sources said.
The suspects — possibly six or more — ran off and are being sought. The fire did not cause any damage.
In the past, Kee organized a food pantry for students at the College of Staten Island.
“Students aren’t able to show up to class and be present because they’re hungry, not being able to concentrate and focus,” Kee told NY1 last year. “So it’s absolutely vital.”
Cheryl Adolph, a college spokeswoman, called Kee “a fulltime employee and valued member of the CSI community.”
“The safety of our employees is of our utmost concern and we will provide our full support to our colleague through his recovery,” she said.