A New York teen got his hoverboard hijacked by thieves

The two-wheeled, self-balancing scooters known as “hoverboards” (they’re not actually hoverboards, but the name has stuck) are all the rage on Vine, YouTube, and on the celebrity circuit. But one New York City teen learned the hard way that they can be dangerous to ride in public.

DNA Info reports that a 15-year old in Manhattan’s Financial District had his hoverboard jacked last week, on the corner of New Street and Beaver Street. The men punched the teen and robbed him of his scooter and his dignity, the NYPD told DNA Info.

The teen, ostensibly naive to the ways of the world, complied when one man asked to take the hoverboard for a little stroll/roll of his own. Bad decision! The teen asked for the $350 hoverboard back, but the thief said no, and then the men proceeded to punch the teen “repeatedly in the face and neck.”

They ran away with his hoverboard and his backpack, but surely left the teen with an important life lesson: don’t ride your hoverboard in public.

Michael Rosen is a reporter for Fusion based out of Oakland.