Teens Charged With Assault Following Ridgewood Fight

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Two boys, ages 14 and 16, were charged with assault after they fought each other at Brookside Field Oct. 28, police announced Thursday.

The boys were involved in a "mutual fight" at the Ridgewood High School field at 4:15 p.m. where one juvenile was taken to Valley Hospital for treatment, said Chief Jacqueline Luthcke.

Students who witnessed the attack recorded the violence instead of helping the student, Ridgewood Superintendent Daniel Fishbein previously said. One boy was beaten so badly he was hospitalized with a fractured skull.

Police conducted "an extensive investigation." The 14-year-old was charged with aggravated assault and simple assault. The 16-year-old was charged with simple assault, Luthcke said.

Fishbein previously said that anyone found to be involved in this incident will be held accountable "in an appropriate way, including possible legal proceedings, school discipline and/or counseling."

The matter was disclosed in Facebook posts published by family and friends of the victims.

At Ridgewood High School last week, the boy stood up for a girl who was being harassed, he said, and told to kill herself after photographs of her were passed around on social media. He then got "massively bullied" and harassed in social media, and then hospitalized for two-and-a-half days, with surgery to follow, Jason Krause wrote on the Ridgewood Class of 1987 Facebook page.

"On Friday the thug knocks out the boy and takes a picture of him as he lay unconscious sharing it on Snapchat," he said. "The following day the same attacker goes after him again on social media with many, many, many other students joining the chorus calling him all sorts of names and challenges him to stand up for his girlfriend, luring him into another fight."

"He is knocked out again, his skull is fractured and his face is broken so severely he needs to have reconstruction surgery when the swelling goes down, and he is in jeopardy of losing the sight in one of his eyes," he said. "The second time the thug beats the boy unconscious there are 50 other students there, many videoing this like sick people who barbarically gather for animal fights. And the school wrestling team is there too to support the beast, the brutal attacker."

The juveniles were served with complaints and due to appear in juvenile court in Hackensack, police said.

RELATED: NJ Teen Beaten In Videotaped Attack At Ridgewood High School

Clarification: The "mutual fight" was between the two boys, Chief Jacqueline Luthcke said Friday. The boys did not beat up a third party.

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