Passaic student charged with assaulting 13-year-old classmate and his mother
A 13-year-old Passaic middle school student has been arrested and charged with the assault of a classmate and his mother as they walked home after school, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said.
Beronica Ruiz, her 1-year-old daughter and her 13-year-old son were confronted by the teen suspect as they walked home from School 20 on Lexington Avenue near Monroe Street at 5 p.m. on June 19, according to information released by Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis Guzman.
The juvenile struck Ruiz, "causing her to temporarily lose consciousness and fall to the sidewalk" when she stepped in front of her son, the Prosecutor's Office said. The suspect also hit his classmate in the face.
The juvenile suspect was charged with one count each of aggravated assault and simple assault, and he was released to his parents pending an appearance in family court, the Prosecutor's Office said.
Ruiz was taken to a local hospital after the assault and was treated for facial fractures and a concussion, officials said.
"She went down hard," Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said Monday. He said Ruiz does not have insurance.
"As both a father and a husband, I am outraged over this incident," Lora said. "As mayor, these are things you wish would never occur in your city or anywhere."
The attack was in retaliation for the victim's son's alerting school officials last Tuesday that he was bullied, said Ruiz's attorney, Daniel Santiago.
The woman's son allegedly told school officials at the gifted and talented school that he was being bullied by the attacker because his parents are Mexican, Santiago said. The "bully" allegedly told the classmate during an exchange in the cafeteria that "Mexicans should go back beyond the wall," the lawyer said.
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The boy was sequestered in the school after the exchange for his own safety, the lawyer said, but his family was not notified of the incident.
On June 19, the boy told his father, Alfonso Vasquez, of the incident and that he was afraid to go to school. Vasquez said he walked his son to school that morning and spoke with the school's vice principal, who told him the lack of a call to the family had been an oversight.
"The school failed. They told me that my son would be safe," Vasquez said.
The family plans to file a lawsuit alleging that the school was negligent in not contacting the family sooner and did not follow proper procedure, Santiago said.
"Yeah, that’s something we’ve discussed," Vasquez said. "We intend to."
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to call 1-877-370-PCPO, e-mail tips@passaiccountynj.org or call the Passaic Police Department Detective Bureau at 973-365-3939.
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