I just read the NY Daily News article. Makes my blood boil. If they set up a volunteer group to catch these ___ers I would join. I have cycled that part of the Hudson and it is very, very easy to get ambushed. Plus, these ___ers have easy escape routes into the Bronx where they split up and hide. I also know they think it's funny and for some - a rite of passage/initiation into the gang.
ID'ding can be difficult because it's later in the day and the common tactic for them, should they get caught is to swap jackets, hats, shirt so as to confuse. But not pants and shoes. And what person with a concussion is going to have the wherewithal to remember clothing, or physical nuances.