206 Teens Go Missing From Bonnie Brae School So Far In 2023

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — More than 200 teens have gone missing from Bonnie Brae School in Bernards Township in the past nine months. That is almost 100 more teens than each of the past two previous years.

According to data gathered by Patch, 206 residents (who range in age from 14 to 20) have gone missing from January through Sept. 18, 2023. In 2022, 115 residents went missing and 117 residents in 2021.

That totals up to 438 reported missing boys in the past 3 years. Police project the final number of missing boys to be around 288 by the end of 2023 bringing the three-year total to 520.

Bernards Township Police reported that among the missing teens, some have returned to the school in Basking Ridge, some have relocated to other institutions, and some have aged out of the system.

The teens are not always located within the township either with some found as far as Camden County or New York, said police.

The private school/residential treatment center, at 3415 Valley Road in the Liberty Corner section of the township, works with youth struggling with issues who were either court-ordered to be admitted or admitted by a parent or guardian looking to help them.

According to the center when boys first arrived, 95 percent had school problems including multiple suspensions; 67 percent had been abused, neglected, or witnessed violence inside or outside of the home; and 64 percent had been runaways.

Chief Executive Officer for Bonnie Brae Paul Reiger told Patch the sharp increase in runaways at the Basking Ridge center can be linked to the pandemic and an increase in mental health needs.

"The mental health needs of our youth is at an all-time high," said Reiger.

Reiger noted that during the COVID pandemic, the number of youth admitted and runaways went down but now the school is seeing a rise in the number of boys being admitted and the number of those that go missing from the school. Currently, there are 94 students enrolled.

When boys go missing from the school, Reiger said its policy is to contact the Bernards Township Police if they are not seen within 15 minutes.

According to the police data, some of the youth that went missing from the center were not reported to police and some youth can be attributed to crime in the township.

In 2021, there was a reported bike theft, attempted vehicle burglary, and an assault on police linked to runaways from the school.

In 2022, there was a reported attempted motor vehicle theft and a vehicle burglary linked to runaways from the school. There were also two missing students who were not reported missing to police and instead found after one was arrested in Red Bank.

In 2023, there were two bike thefts and shoplifting linked to runaways from the school. There were also two boys who were not reported by Bonnie Brae as missing.

Reiger noted that Bonnie Brae is a voluntary facility and boys are not locked in or forced to stay at the center. "This is not a detention center," said Reiger.

Some of the missing reports can also be attributed to repeat offenders. Reiger said some of the situations can be challenging as some boys at the school have previously lived on the streets or lived in challenging situations.

The school works on creating relationships with the boys and proper treatment to address trauma in their background, said Reiger.

"The health and safety of the community and staff are most important," said Reiger.

As far as security, the school has improved its walkie-talkie systems to allow for a longer range, increased staffing above the minimum requirement, and added more crisis staff.

Reiger said Bonnie Brae has also spoken with the Mayor, "We want to be better involved in the community and take away the stigma."

Bernards Township Police Chief Jon Burger said, "We look forward to working with anyone from Bonnie Brae to rectify any issues there."

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