Video Captures Linden Teacher Jumping Into Moving Car To Save Students

LINDEN, NJ — A quick-thinking Linden middle school teacher jumped into a moving car and saved a group of students preventing a tragedy from occurring on the first day of school on Wednesday. The whole situation was caught on camera by the school’s security system. (See video below)

"It was a situation where a lot of people could have become injured," said Soehl Middle School health and physical education teacher Valerie Tauriello, “and without hesitation I just had to jump into action and stop that moving car from running into the school or injuring the kids."

On Wednesday morning, Tauriello was outside on drop-off duty when a parent jumped out of a white SUV car and ran into the school to drop off their child's forgotten iPad.

The SUV was not in park and began to roll forward onto a sidewalk towards a group of students.

"He went running to give his kid the iPad, so he wasn't near it," Tauriello said. "So I figured I'm the only one who can get to this car right now."

Despite wearing a boot on her foot from an old injury, Tauriello said her athletic training kicked in.

She shouted to another teacher, Frank Hasenauer, to get the students out to the way.

"I yelled, 'Move the kids! There's nobody in that car, you gotta move the kids!' He told the kids to move out of the way, and that's when I ran for it," she said.

"It was very hard jumping into a moving car. I never realized that would be a difficult task. At first I couldn't really get in because the car was moving faster than I expected it to. So I just ran a little faster and just hopped in and put into park," said Tauriello.

The whole situation lasted less than one minute and was caught on camera by the school's security system.

"I'm just glad everybody's OK," she said. "It could have been bad."

Soehl Middle School Principal Gwendolyn Long said Tauriello thinks of the students' safety first, as if they are her own children.

"She did not hesitate to risk her life to save our students," she said. "In a matter of seconds she
informed the father of what’s going on, informed the staff to get the kids out of the way, then thought enough to risk her life, because she could have gotten injured. This is the person she is, and this is every day with Ms. Tauriello, thinking of our students first. The Soehl Middle School family is just blessed to have her."

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