47°
Alis Fidrya was charged with invasion of privacy, cyber-harassment and harassment in connection with the incident at Berdan Grove Park in which a 13-year-old boy held the victim's shoulders while a 10-year-old boy pulled down his pants.
While this was happening, Fidrya and a 16-year-old girl recording the incident and "posted it on Snapchat and TikTok for others to see," Sgt. Brian Metzler said Monday.
Police signed juvenile complaints charging the same crimes against the 16-year-old girl, Metzler said.They signed complaints charging the two boys with harassment, he said.
Records show Fidrya, a Fair Lawn High School graduate, worked for the borough as early as 2016, but it couldn't immediately be determined in what capacity.
She and the others are all from Fair Lawn, Metzler said.
In the video, the boys stare at the crying victim's genitals for a moment and then walk away, leaving him standing there before he pulls up his pants.
Other students alerted parents and district administrators to the recorded assault.
"Pantsing" in certain instances in the past has been considered a prank, but it is more often a form of bullying -- and in some instances has been prosecuted as sexual harassment and/or assault.
There's no doubt how authorities, parents and many other students in town perceived it.
"We heard about the appalling incident involving kids from the high school, including one graduate from our year, who 'pantsed' a local 13-year-old, recorded it, and then put it on social media," the Fair Lawn High School Class of 2019 wrote in an open letter Friday. "The child's crying will resonate with us for a long time."
SEE: Fair Lawn 2019 Grads Send Love, Demand Justice For Assaulted Special Needs Boy
Fair Lawn Schools Supt. Nicholas J. Norcia said district officials were "extremely upset and angered by this event."
"We have zero tolerance for such behavior," Norcia wrote in a TikTok letter to parents. "However, at this point we must first allow law enforcement to conduct their investigation.
"Because this involves juvenile students, we are limited in what we can publicly disclose," the superintendent added. "Please rest assured that the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority.
"Although it appears from information currently available to us that this incident did not occur on Fair Lawn School District property, we will deal with this situation appropriately," Norcia wrote.
"I implore you to speak to your children about the dangers of such actions and social media," he added.
CHECK BACK FOR MORE DETAILS
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paterson and receive free news updates.
