Mother: School could have prevented son’s stabbing
South River youth was reportedly stabbed by classmate outside school
The parent of a 13-year-old South River boy, who was allegedly stabbed three times in a fight with a classmate on school grounds March 8, said she believes school officials could have prevented the situation.
As a result, Rosemarie Cruz, whose son, Randy, is recovering from the lacerations, said she intends to take legal action against the school district.
Meanwhile, a 14-year-old classmate accused in the after-school stabbing outside the South River Middle School has been detained at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center, North Brunswick, according to Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Neil Casey. He awaits a court hearing scheduled for March 25 in state Superior Court, New Brunswick.
The juvenile suspect, whose identity was not released because he is a minor, has been charged with aggravated assault and three weapons offenses, Casey said. If convicted, he faces up to three years at a juvenile detention center, he said.
At about 3 p.m. that Friday, the defendant allegedly stabbed Randy with a pocket knife, leaving him with a laceration under his left eye, another under his left arm and a third below the left knee, according to Rosemarie Cruz. Randy was treated and released, following the incident, receiving six stitches, she said.
However, the problems do not end there for Randy, according to his mother.
"I wanted his side (of the story) to be heard," Rosemarie Cruz said.
The mother said that prior to the incident, she had called middle school Principal Charles Appelblatt on four occasions because she was concerned about ongoing arguments between Randy and the classmate in question. The last time she claims to have spoken with Appelblatt about her concerns was March 1, which was one week before the stabbing, she said. That day, Appelblatt allegedly said he would bring the two boys into his office the following Monday, March 4, for a discussion. That discussion never took place though, according to Rosemarie Cruz.
Then, the following week, the classmate allegedly told Randy he wanted to fight after school on March 8, she said.
"My son got threats saying he would be knifed after school," she said.
When Randy met the suspect after school, Randy told the suspect he did not want to fight, his mother said. The two began fighting anyway, and the suspect’s friends ultimately held Randy back while the suspect stabbed him, Rosemarie Cruz said. When Randy’s brother and friends helped him get away, Randy ran and told a crossing guard what had happened, his mother said.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Ambrogi said neither he nor Appelblatt could comment on the situation.
Randy received two weeks’ suspension from school for the fight, his mother said. She said she is worried about his time out of school since statewide testing is being conducted during the suspension.
Since March 8, she said, Randy has experienced chest pains and was administered oxygen to help him breath the day after the fight, Cruz said. For a couple days last week, Randy was spitting up blood.
Cruz said she knows her son is not a "perfect angel," but she believes the incident could have been avoided. The arguments had been taking place for two to three weeks prior to the fight, she said. Furthermore, she claimed, Randy has been bullied since the Cruz family moved to South River from Brooklyn more than a year ago, Cruz said.
"I was really mad, and I still am," she said. "I don’t want this to go under the rug."
Cruz has hired attorney Elias L. Schneider, of East Brunswick to represent the family in a lawsuit against the school district. Schneider said he informed the Board of Education and Appelblatt that he filed a tort claim notice on March 13.
The notice will protect his client’s right to pursue litigation in the future, Schneider said. The initial claim stated the intention to sue for $1 million, he said.
Schneider said that Cruz’s immediate concern is having her child reinstated at school because of the testing that is currently taking place.