A New Jersey girl seriously hurt after a serial vandal threw a baseball-sized rock at her school bus Wednesday is in intensive care at Hackensack University Medical Center, hospital officials said.
The 8-year-old, whose skull was fractured, is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit after having emergency surgery.
“The girl will be OK. She did have surgery Thursday for a fractured skull, and she is recovering,” Teaneck Mayor Mark J. Schwartz told The Post.
The girl was left with a fractured skull after being hit by the rock thrown at the school bus. New Jersey State Police
Hernando Garciamorales was arrested Friday 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, New Jersey State Police said.
Garciamorales, 40, was arrested at a campsite in Old Croaker County Park in Bergen County, authorities said.
The suspect, who was being held in Bergen County Jail pending a court appearance, has been linked to multiple rock throwing incidents in the Bogota section of Bergen County, officials said.
The children were traveling back to Yeshivat Noam Jewish day school in Paramus after a class trip to the Liberty Science Center when the large rock smashed through the bus window.
The rock allegedly thrwon by Hernando Garciamorales was the size of a baseball. New Jersey State Police
The bus had no religious signage and there’s no indication the incident was a bias crime, the mayor said.
Schwartz, along with Deputy Mayor Elie Katz had offered a $5,000 reward “out of our own pockets” to anyone coming forward with information, the mayor said. It’s unclear if the reward was paid out.
Now, school officials are concentrating efforts on helping students deal with the harrowing incident, according to NJ.com.
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The school “has deployed its mental health and guidance teams to support the students and their families,” Yeshivat Noam said in a letter to parents.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” Rabbi Chaim Hagler, Head of School at Yeshivat Noam, wrote in the letter.
“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 ensure a thorough investigation,” Hagler said.