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Basketball Mom Assaults Secaucus Player During Heated North Arlington Varsity Game: Cops

A high school basketball game took a shocking turn earlier this month, when a parent was arrested following an on-court altercation involving players from North Arlington and Secaucus high schools, police said.

Cristina Villatoro

Cristina Villatoro

Photo Credit: Bergen County Sheriff's Office

With less than two minutes left in the game at North Arlington High School, players from both teams got into a heated exchange over the ball around 5:55 p.m. on Jan. 3, North Arlington Police Lt. Rui Encarnacao said.

Officials stopped the game as referees worked to separate the players. Meanwhile, a Secaucus player and a North Arlington player began to fight. The 32-year-old mother of the North Arlington player, Cristina Villatoro, ran onto the court and placed her arm around the Secaucus player’s neck, applying pressure, Encarnacao said.

A North Arlington police officer, who was present at the game, quickly intervened, separated Ms. Villatoro from the student, and escorted her out of the venue. She was arrested on the spot.

Villatoro has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree crime; simple assault at a youth sporting event, a fourth-degree crime; and disorderly conduct, a disorderly person's offense.

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