NJ Superintendent Put On Leave After Crash In Bar Parking Lot

PLAINFIELD, NJ — The superintendent of Plainfield Public Schools, Rashon Hasan, was placed on indefinite paid administrative leave on Tuesday night after he allegedly left the scene of a crash he caused in a bar parking lot.

Elizabeth Filippatos, former Chief of Staff to the superintendent, was appointed as acting superintendent, just hours after a statement from Hasan on the district's social media page.

Through the Plainfield Public Schools Facebook account, Hasan said all legal issues were dropped, a claim that the Woodbridge Municipal Court has since confirmed.

Hasan also said a story published by another local news outlet depicted his actions erroneously.

As reported by TAPinto Plainfield, Hasan was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident, with the news outlet also adding details of the alleged events that happened that night.

He now claims that he followed all proper protocol after hitting the side of another car at Big Shots Restaurant and Lounge in Woodbridge on Dec. 13, 2025.

"I am aware of the recent TAPinto Plainfield article regarding an incident involving a district-owned vehicle, and I want to clarify the facts and address several misleading impressions," said Hassan.

Police accounts, and surveillance body camera footage allegedly showed Hasan sticking around to talk to an employee, but leaving before police arrived after he sideswiped a car.

Officers then identified Hasan through security footage and the bar's identification scanner, and learned he was driving a 2024 Ford Expedition that was owned by the Plainfield Board of Education.

According to an officer with the Woodbridge Police Department, he called Hasan, who then told the officer that a different car was parked next to him from when he first arrived, and he thought he could make a turn out of the spot.

Hassan said he took photos of the damage and asked security to make an announcement to have the owner of the car come outside. He said he also provided the on-site officer with his contact information and where he worked before he "could not wait any longer" and left.

"I immediately reported the incident through the appropriate internal channel by notifying the District's Transportation Coordinator," he added in his statement.

Hasan, allegedly, never notified Plainfield Public Schools or the Board of Education of what happened, and the district learned of the situation from another employee days later.

While it is still unclear why the SUV was being used at the restaurant, Hasan said he followed Plainfield Public Schools' policy regarding district-owned vehicles.

"His account of the events conflicts with the account in both the police report and witnesses in the body camera videos," TAPinto said in response to his statement. The outlet also went on to point out that he "did not address why he neglected to call police."

The district, prior to the Board's appointment, had said Hasan clarified the facts and "reaffirmed his commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to Board policy."

Hasan began his role as superintendent in 2022.

Patch has reached out to both Plainfield Public Schools district and Woodbridge Municipal Court for comment and is yet to hear back.

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