Manalapan H.S. teen stabbed in head with pen

MANALAPAN - Police have jailed a high school sophomore after he allegedly attacked a classmate with a pen Thursday.

Police first went to Manalapan High School at 20 Church Lane around 12:45 p.m. "for a report of a fight that had previously occurred between students," according to a summary forwarded by police Capt. Thomas Barstow.

"Upon further investigation, it was determined that a 15-year-old male sophomore student had physically assaulted a 16-year-old male sophomore student while they were walking in the hallway between classes," according to the summary.

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Police arrested the younger boy and charged him with aggravated assault and weapon possession at township police headquarters on Englishtown-Freehold Road, police said. They then remanded him to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Facility in North Brunswick.

Barstow confirmed that the weapon was a "normal pen."

The older boy "was released to his parent and received medical attention for injuries that he sustained to his head," according to the statement.

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Tales of the attack lit up Facebook groups devoted to township residents Thursday afternoon. There was a flurry of tweets on the subject well.

On Thursday evening, several hours after the attack, district Superintendent Charles Sampson tweeted "Folks as parents we need to make sure we keep our communication appropriate. Facebook is not the place to discuss school concerns."

Later in the day, Rebecca Policastro, a communications and district projects coordinator for the Freehold Regional High School District, to which Manalapan High School belongs, emailed a prepared statement which read that the school district was cooperating with police and that student safety was its top priority.

"While disciplinary consequences have been imposed against those involved, the District cannot lawfully comment on the specific disciplinary action being taken. As public school students, those involved are entitled to certain due process and confidentiality rights that prevent the District from commenting more specifically on the actions being taken," it read. "Accordingly, the District asks that the public respect the legal restraints that limit the District's ability to more fully discuss this incident.

Alex N. Gecan: 732-643-4043; agecan@gannettnj.com