An 8-year-old female girl suffered a skull fracture after a rock was thrown at her school bus on the New Jersey Turnpike on Wednesday afternoon, state police said.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on the northbound side of the highway near Exit 70A-B in Teaneck. According to the New Jersey State Police, an unidentified individual threw a baseball-sized rock at the bus as it traveled in the right lane between Challenger Road and Degraw Avenue, shattering a side window and striking the young student.
The injured child, a third grader at Yeshivat Noam in Paramus, was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center for treatment. School officials confirmed the student sustained a skull fracture and is scheduled to undergo surgery for her injuries. The Hebrew name for prayers was released as Gila Bracha bat Michal Ilana.
Unprovoked School Bus Attack
At the time of the attack, the bus was carrying third-grade students returning from a class trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. A second school bus traveling with the group was not hit.
Parent Avram Zamist, whose 9-year-old daughter was on the bus but unharmed, described the aftermath as deeply upsetting for the children on board. "She's very upset. She's shook, but she's physically OK," Zamist said. "But a friend of hers is not OK."
Authorities are investigating the incident as an aggravated assault. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including New Jersey State Police, Teaneck police, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, are working together on the case.
Community leaders participated in a coordinated call with municipal officials and law enforcement to organize the response, including Rabbi Daniel Fridman of the RCBC, TeachNJ, Teaneck Mayor Schwartz, Deputy Mayor Orgen, Deputy Mayor Eli Katz, and Sol Itzkowitz, Coordinator of Chaveirim of Bergen County. Emergency responders from Bergen County Hatzolah also responded to the scene.
Treating the Injured Student
In a statement, Rabbi Chaim Hagler, head of school at Yeshivat Noam, said the school's focus remains on supporting the injured student and her family while ensuring the emotional health of the entire student body. Guidance and mental health counselors have been made available to help students and families cope with the traumatic event.
School officials noted there were no visible markings on the bus identifying it as a Jewish school bus, and authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attack. As of Thursday, no arrests have been announced.
