Man Beaten Unconscious While Waiting for iPhone Release

Salem police made two arrests and had to intervene in a variety of incidents in the early morning hours before the new Apple iPhones went on sale Friday at the Mall at Rockingham Park.

Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten said Mark Young, 24, and Jennifer Young, 22, both of Peabody, Mass., were arrested while police attempted to maintain order in a crowd of about 1,000 people huddled outside the mall, which has an Apple store and has been known for issues during major technology releases in the past.


Mark Young was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, while Jennifer Young was charged with trespassing and possession of marijuana, according to Patten, who said both individuals were released on $1,000 personal recognizance bail.

Officers also found a man who was beaten unconscious, and Patten said detectives are still investigating that incident. Patten said the man was found "laying in some brush," although he said in a release that none of the roughly 1,000 people in the area "'witnessed' the assault."

The man was transported to an area hospital by members of the Salem Fire Department.

Patten said there were several other minor incidents over the course of Friday morning, including multiple thefts, domestic disputes and trespassing issues. Officers handled those issues "without incident," according to Patten.

There were no issues at the mall in September 2012 for the release of the iPhone 5. The iPad release in March 2012 had issues similar to those during Friday's release, though, as one man was arrested and numerous others were asked to leave when a crowd waiting in line for the new iPad got out of control.

An estimated crowd of 1,000 people awaiting that iPad release became unruly and caused a crushing issue at the mall entrance doors. At that time, local police said they would work with the mall and Apple to make sure nothing like that would happen again in Salem.