by Four students were charged in a New Jersey school hallway attack on a classmate who killed herself days later, prosecutors said.
One was charged with aggravated assault, another with molestation and two others with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, Ocean County Attorney Bradley D. Billhimer said Friday.
Their names have not been released. NBC News does not usually name juveniles accused of a crime, even those accused by adults.
“Each minor and her guardian received a copy of their complaint and were released pending future court appearances,” Billhimer said.
The prosecutor’s announcement is the latest development in a case that garnered national attention after video of the Feb. 1 attack on Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township was posted online.
Adriana Kuch, 14, was found dead at her Bayville home on February 3. The four students involved in the attack have been suspended, the superintendent of the central regional school district Triantafillos Parlapanides said.
Adriana’s father, Michael Kuch, said in posts on Facebook and on NBC New York that several students assaulted his daughter as she walked with her boyfriend in the hallway.
He wrote on Facebook that a video of the fight had been posted online and freshman Adriana had been tagged in it. She said she believes it was posted to “make fun of her online.”
Kuch expressed outrage at the school’s handling of the incident, telling NBC New York that the police were never called even though Adriana was passed out and had bruises on her body.
Parlapanides told NBC News on Friday that police were notified and that “teachers and security personnel intervened” in the fracas. She declined to give further details about the students involved or the fight.
“It is a tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Parlapanides said in an emailed statement.
The Berkeley Township Police Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
Kuch told NBC New York that there had been an issue involving his daughter and one of the girls “for a couple of years.”
“He was threatening my daughter online,” she said.
She told the news station she thinks the bullying drove her daughter to commit suicide.
The students of the school staged a rally for Adriana to protest the lack of response from the school.
“Adriana took her own life because no one at the school was able to help, care or intervene,” sophomore Roman Valez told NBC New York. “I’d actually like to teach people who bully what they’re actually doing and how it affects.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for more resources.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
