Teen comes face-to-face with his bullies while speaking with News 12

Gina Moscato said after she went public with her son Tyler RocheTilden’s story of bullying, she’s received lots of support, but the bullying has not ceased. She said it’s “the hardest thing in the world.”

Cecilia Dowd

Oct 2, 2025, 10:30 PM

Updated 2 hr ago

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A teenager came face-to-face with the kids he says bullied him while being interviewed by News 12.
Tyler RocheTilden was headed to the supermarket after leaving a singing lesson in Massapequa Park last week when he says he was cornered by a large group of kids on bikes who called him names, threw rocks and spat at him.
His mom, Gina Moscato, says she was fed up. She said this was not the first time her son had been bullied. She decided to go public with the story.
Hundreds of messages of support flowed in, but the bullying did not stop.
News 12 was at Brady Park on Thursday to speak with Tyler, who is on the autism spectrum, and his mom about the goodwill of strangers.
While they were speaking with News 12 crews, a group of kids on bikes rode into the park. Tyler panicked and his eyes instantly filled with fear. He said he recognized some of them from the incident last week.
As they rode past, Tyler’s mom heard them say vile things about her son. They then parked their bikes and watched as News 12 spoke with Tyler, who said he never should have left his house.
"I'm scared. I'm very scared," Tyler said.
Gina said this has been “the hardest thing in the world.” She just wants her son to be happy.