Blood inside Jesse Chapman's car. Credit:Jonathan Carroll Jesse said he had pulled the handbrake and was reaching for his seatbelt to check the damage and apologise when a man ripped open his door and started punching him in the head. "He opened the door and I was about to say 'sorry mate' and then bang he just went straight at me," Jesse said. "I remember during the attack trying to say sorry and I'll pay for it, but he just wouldn't listen." As Jesse's friend in the passenger seat tried desperately to keep him in the car, the man dragged Jesse out by his shirt and continued the furious assault.

The dent on Jesse Chapman's car where he bumped into a car before allegedly being bashed. Jesse said the man grabbed him by the hair to hold him upright and continued to rain blows around his nose, eyes and forehead. As Jesse attempted to apologise he began to spit blood across the roof of his car. Jesse Chapman, 17, in hospital after being allegedly bashed after clipping a car on Friday night in Newcastle. The man then punched Jesse to the ground and – with the man's screaming girlfriend telling him to stop – he told Jesse to get in his car and leave.

Terrified the assault would continue, Jesse and his friend drove straight to Newcastle police station. Jesse's mother, Kathy Chapman, said police searched the area but were unable to find the man or his girlfriend. A number of people who saw the assault had also left the car park. Jesse suffered two black eyes, bruising and swelling on his face and nose and spent the night in John Hunter Hospital where he underwent X-rays. Incredibly, the only damage caused by the collision is believed to have been to Jesse's car, which sustained a minor crack on its bumper. The offender is described as having a big build, in his late 20s and was wearing a long-sleeved orange high-visibility shirt.

The car he got out of is described as a Toyota HiLux single-cab two-door ute with a black flat tray. Frustrated and saddened by the assault, Ms Chapman turned to Facebook on Saturday to appeal for information. Her post, which includes a picture of Jesse's bruised and battered face, has been seen throughout the Hunter with more than 7000 people sharing it by Sunday night. "I am still angry about what happened to Jesse," Ms Chapman said.

"But mostly I am sad that this kind of thing can happen to an innocent kid. "He didn't know the guy from a bar of soap and he was about to get out and have a look at the damage and apologise. "It's not like he said anything to the guy or was being cheeky or anything. "This was just flat out violence with no warning." Ms Chapman said the family were also upset that those who saw the assault left the scene without speaking to police.

She said Jesse believes at least four impartial witnesses were standing nearby or sitting in cars during the attack but didn't come to his aid and have not spoken to police. "They could have called the police anonymously to tell them what they saw," she said. "If you saw this happen to a kid, wouldn't you do something, wouldn't you say something? "But nobody got out of the car and did anything." But Ms Chapman said the family were overwhelmed with the response on Facebook, with dozens of people offering their support.

Newcastle City police Inspector Trevor Shiels said on Monday: "This is a particularly savage assault on someone I would suggest is a non-threatening individual and purely a victim. "Accidents occur all the time and I think it is reasonable to say that this was a very minor one. "The overreaction is significant with the potential for very serious harm. "The injuries are serious ... when you are striking someone in the head it can have dire consequences. "Obviously we are still investigating the matter, but given the significance of the injuries I would suggest it is a fairly cowardly attack.

"I don't believe the young fellow was threatening or intimidating in any way. "There are people out there that can assist us and I would certainly encourage them to come forward. "I think once they think about it they certainly will." Anyone with information is urged to contact Newcastle City police or Crime Stoppers. Also, anyone who has CCTV cameras at homes near Strzelecki lookout or those in the area on Friday night who may have dash-cams in their car are urged to check their footage and contact police.