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The incident happened on Tuesday, April 8, at approximately 10:52 a.m., according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
A Fort Lee Police Department officer, assigned to the high school, made an emergency radio call reporting a stabbing at the school, located at 3000 Lemoine Ave. Additional police units from nearby jurisdictions responded.
Officers arrived to find a male juvenile student who had been stabbed in the neck, abdomen, back, and arm, Musella said. First responders and school security gave immediate first aid. The victim was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries and is currently listed in critical but stable condition.
The suspect, who is also a 16-year-old student, was apprehended on scene and placed in protective custody, Musella said.
A joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, under Chief Matthew Finck, and the Fort Lee Police Department, under Chief Matthew Hintze, determined that the two students were involved in an altercation in a school restroom when the stabbing occurred.
As a result of the investigation, the juvenile suspect was charged with:
- First-degree attempted murder
- Second-degree aggravated assault
- Third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
- Fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon
The juvenile has been transferred to the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center, pending a closed hearing in Bergen County Superior Court, Family Law Division.
Prosecutor Musella emphasized that the charges are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Musella thanked the Fort Lee Police Department, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Englewood Cliffs Police Department, Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department, and Port Authority Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
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