Easter Bunny Brawl At Hudson County Mall: What Happened?

Jersey City, NJ – What could have inspired a knock-down brawl between a mall Easter bunny and a local father?

That’s the question many people are asking after a costumed actor was caught on video getting into a brawl with customers waiting to have photos taken at the Newport Mall in Jersey City on Sunday.

In the video, which can be seen below, the bunny is seen exchanging punches with a man in a brown shirt, and others, then having to be separated from the crowd as his ears flopped up and down.

The bunny then is seeing going back to the crowd for more brawling as children could be seeing fleeing into a play area.

Warning: Viewer discretion advised, because the below videos contain some inappropriate language.

The man in the costume, Kassim Charles, and the father, 44-year-old Juan Jimenez-Guerro, were charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct charges.

Charles told police the child slipped out of the chair after she had her photo taken with him, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

On Tuesday, both men made an initial court appearance via a Hudson County Jail video conference on the assault charges.

Afterwards, the girlfriends of the two men each blamed the other’s partner for starting the fight.

"Without that Easter bunny helmet on, he would have been hurt worse," Charles' girlfriend, Jasmine Butler, said. "He had bruises on his face."

Butler claimed that the video misrepresents what really happened and that Jimenez-Guerrero threw the first punch, NJ.com reported.

Jimenez-Guerrero has 12 prior arrests in New Jersey, four disorderly persons convictions and one criminal conviction, NJ.com stated.

He also reportedly has eight prior arrests in New York and is wanted on a fugitive from justice warrant.

However, the girl's mother, Nathalie Moreira, said that Charles “dropped” her 15-month-old daughter.

Charles has one prior arrest in New York and one in New Jersey, as well as a warrant for his arrest out of Jersey City Municipal Court for a light rail violation and one for a PATH violation, NJ.com reported.

Charles was also arrested on an open warrant for "fare hopping," Jersey City police told NBC 4 New York.

Both men have been ordered to have no contact with each other and face three to five years if convicted on assault charges.

Photo and video: Kev ‏@2jrb123

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