Plainfield School Superintendent Placed On Paid Leave After Woodbridge Car Crash

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The Plainfield Board of Education placed school superintendent Rashon Hasan on a paid leave at their meeting Tuesday night, after he got into a crash in Woodbridge Twp. in December.

Hasan was driving a district-owned vehicle at the time of the crash.

The board appointed Elizabeth Filippatos as acting superintendent of Plainfield public schools.

The accident occurred Dec. 13 on Rt. 1 in Woodbridge, confirmed Woodbridge Police. Hasan was driving a 2024 Ford Expedition, owned by the city of Plainfield school district, when he hit another car near Big Shots Restaurant and Lounge, a sports bar on Rt. 1 in Woodbridge.

Woodbridge Police charged Hasan with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and failure to report an accident.

The same day the school board put him on paid leave, Hasan posted this statement to the Plainfield school district Facebook page. Both charges were dismissed in Woodbridge Municipal Court on Jan. 20, court records show, and the Woodbridge town court found no wrongdoing committed by Hasan.

Hasan said in his statement:

"After the minor incident, I assessed the situation, took photos of the damage and I requested that security make an announcement to have the owner of the vehicle come outside. I also provided the on-site security officer with contact information (name and place of employment). When it became clear that no further action was occurring and I could not wait any longer, I departed. At no time did I attempt to conceal my identity or avoid responsibility."

Hasan said he also immediately reported the accident to the Plainfield school district's transportation coordinator, whose job it is to handle any incident involving a school vehicle, including filing an insurance claim.

Jan. 28 Editor's note: This article has been updated from its original publication.