Old Bridge Teenage Girl Paralyzed In Wrestling Match Now Moving Arms, Toes

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — Old Bridge school superintendent Vincent Sasso said he visited the teenage girl who was critically injured in a wrestling match, in the hospital Monday and he has positive news to share:

"She is now able to move her upper body and wiggle her toes," said the superintendent. "She can also now move her arm."

It's extremely positive news after the 16-year-old Old Bridge girl was initially paralyzed in a wrestling match on Jan. 31. She was pinned by a Perth Amboy High School wrestler, also a teenage girl, in what witnesses say was a routine move. She suddenly felt an intense pain in her neck. The Old Bridge teen, identified as Adriana Maria, was unable to get up off the mat. She could not move her arms or her legs.

Multiple vertebrae in her spinal cord in her neck had been displaced, Old Bridge High School head wrestling coach John Post said previously. The community feared the worst, and the teen was initially thought to be perhaps permanently paralyzed.

Sasso said it was remarkable how "positive" Adriana was in the hospital Monday.

"She was so upbeat and so appreciative of all the support she's seen from the community," he said. "She's overwhelmed by the love she feels. But she has a very long road to recovery ahead of her, a lot of physical therapy and we just ask that you please keep the prayers coming. She has a long way to go."

The teen said she "wants to return to wrestling, no matter what her mother says," he also shared.

She remains hospitalized at Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center, and has undergone multiple surgeries on her neck and spinal cord. This GoFundMe for the girl has also raised $126,000 of its $130,000 goal.

The injury happened during a girls' quad wrestling match, where girls' teams from four high schools competed against each other in an all-day tournament, held at Old Bridge High School. The Perth Amboy wrestler was not issued any penalties.

Last week: Old Bridge Teen Wrestler Paralyzed After Spinal Cord Injury

Girl, 16, Critically Injured In Wrestling Match At Old Bridge High School