New Jersey police arrested a man alleged to have thrown a rock that seriously injured an 8-year-old girl aboard a school bus in Bergen County, reported Jpost News.
Police took Hernando Garcia Morales, 40, into custody following an investigation into multiple rock-throwing incidents in the area. Morales is 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 apprehension.
The most serious incident occurred Wednesday as a school bus transporting third-grade students from the Yeshivat Noam Jewish school exited the New Jersey Turnpike. Police said the thrown rock shattered a bus window and struck the young girl, which fractured her skull. The child’s condition remained unknown at this report following hospitalization.
Law enforcement and school officials said there is currently no known motive behind the attack and would not refer to it as a hate crime at this report. Authorities emphasized the bus did not have markings identifying it as a school bus or as belonging to a Jewish school. School officials urged caution against speculation and continued working closely with law enforcement to ensure a thorough investigation, which is ongoing.
The arrest followed reports of similar rock-throwing incidents in Bergen County, which investigators linked to Morales.
“Throwing stones at vehicles is not harmless mischief. It is a violent act that can maim or kill,” said Phil Rosen, chair of the World Jewish Congress American Section. “When an object is hurled at a bus full of children, the intent is to cause fear and injury. That is terror, and it must be condemned clearly and without qualification.”
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