Two teenagers are facing charges following two caught on cam fights at a New Jersey high school that left a student unconscious and two teachers injured.
On Wednesday, around 11:15 a.m., police responded to Collingswood High School on 424 West Collings Avenue in Collingswood for a report of an unconscious student in need of medical aid.
Two cell phone videos obtained by NBC10 show a student sitting at a table inside the cafeteria when he’s suddenly attacked by two other students who push him to the ground and repeatedly punch him.
“So, there was a posturing. There were words that were exchanged. Two of the students attacked the student that was seated at the table, eating lunch with his friends,” Dr. Fredrick McDowell, Superintendent of Collingswood and Oaklyn Public Schools, told NBC10.
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At least one of the videos shows a second fight breaking out between students inside the cafeteria as a teacher climbs over a lunch table to try to break it up.
Police said two students in all were attacked and at least one of them was knocked unconscious. Two teachers were also injured, according to Dr. McDowell.
“School nurses were called and then the ambulance was called in order for the child to be further evaluated,” Dr. McDowell said.
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Both students who were attacked were taken to a local hospital for medical attention. A 15-year-old student and 16-year-old student at Collingswood High School were both arrested for their alleged roles in the fight and charged with aggravated assault.
Collingswood High School has Climate and Culture Officers who are retired police officers. They have not had a school resource officer since budget cuts took place in 2012.
Parents of students told NBC10 Wednesday’s fight was not an isolated incident and there have been several fights in the school.
"At this point I’m so scared to have two kids in the high school that I want to there to be metal detectors," Valarie Iosue told NBC10. "I just think it’s a matter of time before a weapon is brought into school."
Iouse's daughter was sitting next to one of the students who was attacked.
"She was having basically a panic attack," Iosue said. "She said that she saw her friend covered in blood. She said there was blood everywhere."
A spokesperson for the school told NBC10 the students who recorded the fights without intervening will face disciplinary consequences.
"They start taking the video before the fight breaks out. So they were apart of it. They knew it was going to happen," Iosue said. "They film it as the person is walking up. So they were apart of it and they're actually kind of laughing during it which is sickening."
Collingswood Police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office continue to investigate the incident to determine if additional charges will be filed.
“I think we need to reevaluate how we’re looking at it because times have changed,” Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey said. “If we look to address the issues based on the same way we did before social media and cell phones were out there for everyone and videos were instantaneous, then we’re doing a disservice.”
