Fight at NJ high school investigated as hate crime

NEW JERSEY (FOX 5 NY) - Authorities say a fight at a New Jersey high school in which one girl allegedly tried to rip a hijab off of a Muslim student's head is being probed as a possible bias incident.

The fight at East Brunswick High School was caught on video and posted to social media.

It shows a student apparently punching a girl on the floor while a staff member pulls them apart.

Authorities say the girl who tried to rip off the hijab has been charged with simple assault, harassment, cyber harassment and disorderly conduct.

She and the other girl involved in the fight were both suspended under the school's "zero-tolerance" policy, as was the student who recorded the fight. Middlesex County prosecutors will decide if the incident was a bias attack.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the East Brunswick Police Department say they are continuing to investigate the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to please contact Detective Brian Adams of the East Brunswick Police Department at (732) 390-6900, or Detective Tammy Colonna of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3145.

With the Associated Press