High school surf star William Frey sues Long Beach school after alleged beating and pedophile accusations spread

A high school surfing case from California has now turned into a major legal battle after 17 year old surfer William Frey sued the Long Beach Unified School District. Frey says school officials failed to protect him after he was allegedly attacked by three fellow Wilson High School surf team members in April 2025.

According to the lawsuit first reported by the Daily Mail, the incident started over a disagreement connected to teammate Owen Keller’s younger sister, Ainsley. The lawsuit says Keller became angry after learning Frey was spending time with his sister. Court documents claim Keller threatened Frey over the phone before later showing up at his home. The complaint alleges Keller shouted threats outside the house and damaged the back door before leaving.

About 30 minutes later, Keller allegedly returned with teammates Samuel Katz and Joseph Ziroli.According to the filing, the three entered the home through the damaged back door and later found Frey hiding in the garage. The lawsuit claims Keller and Katz repeatedly punched and kicked Frey while Ziroli recorded the incident. Frey says he suffered bruises, cuts, and swelling during the attack. The complaint also says the family home had more than $5,000 in damage, including a broken television.

The Daily Mail reported that Frey later received a temporary restraining order against the three students from Los Angeles Superior Court on April 25, 2025. However, the lawsuit claims the students were still allowed to attend surf class and team activities together, which Frey says made him fear for his safety.

William Frey lawsuit says Wilson High School failed to stop threats and harassment

Frey’s mother, Celinda Bradley, reportedly informed school officials that threats continued even after the alleged assault. The complaint says she shared audio recordings and messages, including one threat that allegedly said, “We’ll just get you at school.”The filing further claims that a video of the alleged attack spread through Snapchat and across the school community. Frey also says classmates later called him a “pedophile” because of his friendship with Ainsley, who reports say was either 14 or 15 at the time.

The lawsuit states that Frey faced ongoing harassment at school despite the restraining order.On May 5, 2025, an anonymous death threat against Frey was reportedly submitted through Wilson High School’s “Say Something” reporting app. According to the complaint, the threat read, “I’m going to kill William Frey.” The school later created a safety plan allowing Frey to arrive late and leave early each day.Frey has since moved away from Long Beach and is now attending college in another city. In a statement to the Daily Mail, the Long Beach Unified School District said it takes student safety allegations seriously but declined further comment because of pending litigation. Owen Keller also declined to comment, while Samuel Katz and school officials did not immediately respond to requests from the Daily Mail.