WOODBURY – In July 2011, an 18-year-old Ted Johnson Jr., just three months after being elected to the Woodbury Board of Education, was arrested following a fight and charged with assault.

After the initial reports, not much was heard about the fight involving Johnson, who was appointed to city council this month.



Last week, Johnson reported that all charges against those arrested in the fight — including his father, Ted Sr., and two others — were dropped a short time after they were filed.

An official at the Woodbury Municipal Court confirmed that the charges against all parties had been dropped on Aug. 17, 2011.

Discussing the incident following last week’s city council meeting, the younger Johnson, now 21, said he’s done a lot of maturing since then.

“I’ve grown so much since then, and it’s part of the reason I want to do more for young people in the city,” he said. “If our kids stay out on the streets, that’s the kind of thing that’s going to happen.

“I’m not embarrassed about it. I’ve learned from it. I was blessed that it was able to get worked out.”

Johnson was two and a half years into his first three-year term as a member of the city board of education when he received the Woodbury Democratic Party’s nomination to fill the empty seat of Committeewoman Gwendolyn Joyce Brown, who stepped down in December. He resigned from the BOE on the morning of the council’s Jan. 6 re-organization in anticipation of his appointment that night.

On the night of the fight, on July 13, 2011, Johnson had been exchanging heated text messages about a girl with Paul Hughes, 18, of South Barber Avenue, said police.

Hughes reportedly texted Johnson that he was at the basketball courts behind the Woodbury Child Development Center and that they should meet and handle the issue “like men,” police said.

Johnson Jr. drove over to the basketball courts, with his 66-year-old father in the passenger seat, police said.

The younger Johnson and Hughes fought at about 7:30 p.m. When it appeared his son might be losing, according to police, the older Johnson got involved. Some witnesses insisted he was trying to assault Hughes, while others said he was attempting to break up the fight.

The Johnsons retreated into the car, and Johnson Jr. allegedly backed up with his driver’s door still open, hitting Edward McKinnie, 32, of Westville, and knocking him down, said police.

Johnson Jr. then allegedly backed into a parked car before driving away from the scene.

Ted Johnson Jr. was charged with simple assault, simple assault by auto, disorderly conduct and inciting a riot, said police.

His father was charged with disorderly conduct, inciting a riot and simple assault for allegedly punching Hughes, police said.

Hughes was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct and inciting a riot, said police.

McKinnie was charged with disorderly conduct, inciting a riot and simple assault for allegedly punching Johnson Jr.

“Everything was dropped all around,” said Johnson. “And I’m actually very good friends now with the kid I fought. I’m also a lot closer with my father. It was just a mistake.”

Contact staff writer Jason Laday at 856-686-3628 or jladay@southjerseymedia.com.