Ayer teen arraigned for Boston marina assaults
BOSTON, September 9, 2026 – An Ayer teen is facing assault and other offenses after being charged in BMC Central Tuesday with attacking several people at a private Boston marina over the weekend, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JOSHUA CARROLL, 18, is charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60, trespassing, and trespassing on a boat.
Judge James Coffey set bail at $750 and ordered Carroll to stay away from the marina and all victims and witnesses. Carroll will return to court on October 22 for a pre-trial hearing.
At arraignment prosecutors said that at around 7:15 p.m. on September 5, officers were called to the Long Wharf area for a report of a person with a gun. Officers spoke to three victims who all stated that a man, later identified as Carroll, struck them with a metal license plate.
The first victim, a 59-year-old man, said Carroll followed him to the docking area of the marina where Carroll hit him repeatedly with the license plate in his upper back and threatened a witness during the attack, saying, “I have a gun and I'll [expletive] kill you.”
The second victim, a 64-year-old man, told officers that as he and his wife were walking toward the Chart House restaurant when Carroll struck him from behind in the upper back with the license plate and fled.
A third victim, an 11-year-old boy, told officers that while walking on the dock with his friends, he was followed by Carroll, who struck him in the back of the neck with the license plate and fled.
Witnesses told officers Carroll tried to push two people into the water before attempting to board a docked boat but was stopped by bystanders in the area who restrained him until officers arrested him at the scene.
Carroll became combative with officers, refusing to walk, calling officers racial slurs and wishing them harm. Carroll kicked the door of the police cruiser, preventing officers from opening the door. While inside, Carroll continued to kick the window and inside the cruiser multiple times.
“This is a bizarre set of facts involving numerous victims who were in the marina area enjoying a summer Saturday. I’m grateful that neither the victims nor the responding officers suffered serious injuries,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications