Local yeshiva student hit by rock thrown at school bus, recovering at home
Crime was not motivated by hate, police say
The skull of a third-grade student at Yeshivat Noam in Paramus was fractured when she was hit by a baseball-sized rock allegedly thrown by Hernando Garcia Morales of Palisades Park. The student was in a school bus, returning from a field trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. The incident occurred near the Teaneck exit on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Garcia Morales, described in the media as a serial rock-thrower, was booked last Friday. Teaneck police linked the suspect to multiple rock-throwing incidents. He was arrested at a campsite in a section of Overpeck Park called Old Croaker County Park.
The 8-year-old underwent surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. She’s back home now, recovering.
There were no signs on the bus indicating that it carried day-school students, so it seems unlikely that the attack was antisemitic, Teaneck Mayor Mark Schwartz said.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” Rabbi Chaim Hagler, Yeshivat Noam’s head of school, said. “Our focus remains on supporting the injured student and her family, as well as ensuring the emotional health of our entire student body. We are working closely with law enforcement to insure a thorough investigation.”
“We offer our profound gratitude to local, county, and state law enforcement for their extraordinary coordination, speed, and determination in bringing this matter to a close, reflecting their unwavering commitment to our children, our institutions, and the safety of the entire community,” the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey said in a statement.
Garcia Morales remains in custody in the Bergen County Jail and has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest by flight.
Mr. Schwartz and Teaneck Councilman Elie Y. Katz offered an initial reward of $5,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.
“I’m incredibly relieved and grateful that, through the swift coordination of the New Jersey State Police with our local and county law enforcement partners, the suspect was quickly apprehended,” Mr. Katz said. “Most importantly, we are thankful that the 8-year-old student has been released from the hospital and is now on the road to a recovery. Our prayers are with her.”