The New Jersey State Police announced that Hernando Garcia Morales, 40, of Palisades Park, was arrested after a rock thrown at a school bus on the New Jersey Turnpike in Teaneck fractured the skull of an 8-year-old girl.
According to authorities, the incident occurred on the northbound New Jersey Turnpike in Teaneck Township shortly after 2 p.m. A baseball-sized rock shattered a window on a bus carrying third-grade students from Yeshivat Noam, who were returning from a field trip. The rock struck the girl in the head. Garcia Morales was subsequently arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, resisting arrest by flight, and hindering. The injured girl underwent surgery and is expected to recover.
Bergen County is known for its high concentration of Orthodox Jewish communities, including those in Teaneck and Paramus where Yeshivat Noam is located. Authorities reported that the bus carried students from Yeshivat Noam in Paramus and that the incident took place near the Teaneck Road exit.
The New Jersey State Police are responsible for investigations on the Turnpike and coordinate with local agencies for incidents involving motor vehicles and assaults. The suspect was linked to multiple previous rock-throwing incidents in Bogota Borough within Bergen County before this event. During this particular incident, no other individuals on the bus were injured.
The New Jersey State Police serve as the primary law enforcement agency for incidents on the New Jersey Turnpike and provide statewide support for major investigations such as serious assaults. They collaborate with county prosecutors and local police departments in Bergen County for cases like this one. The force maintains specialized units designed to respond to threats on state highways.
