A New Jersey resident, accused of injuring a young girl by hurling a baseball-sized rock at a school bus, has been identified by federal authorities as an undocumented immigrant.
Hernando Garcia-Morales, aged 40, from Palisades Park, is facing several charges related to a motor vehicle incident that occurred on January 7 along the northbound New Jersey Turnpike, as reported by the New Jersey State Police.
The incident took place as third-grade students were returning to Yeshivat Noam Jewish day school in Paramus following a class trip to the Liberty Science Center. A large rock crashed through the bus window, the school previously informed Fox News Digital.
As a result of the rock striking her, an 8-year-old girl sustained a skull fracture and required surgery, according to officials.
A young girl in New Jersey was injured when a rock was thrown through the window of a school bus coming back from a field trip, authorities confirmed. (New Jersey State Police)
Garcia-Morales was taken into custody on January 9 by New Jersey Turnpike State Police. He faces charges including aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and possession of a weapon. Additionally, the Bogota Police Department has charged him with aggravated assault, criminal trespass, criminal trespass with intent to peer, and criminal mischief resulting in property damage.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday that U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) has issued an arrest detainer against Hernando Garcia-Morales, claiming he is a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico.
DHS told Fox News Digital that Garcia-Morales has a history of violence and is in the country illegally, but said he has not been deported because of New Jersey’s sanctuary immigration policies.
“Violently targeting a school bus full of children is extremely wicked and heinous,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Hernando Garcia-Morales should have never been in this country, let alone released after multiple arrests into New Jersey communities.”
Hernando Garcia-Morales, a New Jersey man accused of throwing a rock at a school bus and injuring an 8-year-old girl, is in the country illegally, according to DHS. (New Jersey State Police; Department of Homeland Security)
“ICE has lodged an arrest detainer against this monster, and we hope New Jersey’s sanctuary politicians will help us keep him off American streets for good,” McLaughlin added.
DHS said it does not know when or where Garcia-Morales illegally entered the country, but noted he has a criminal history spanning two decades.
He was arrested in 2006 for possession of a weapon and theft, according to The New York Post, and was arrested for burglary in 2023 after allegedly entering a building in Hackensack, New Jersey. Those charges were not pursued, the outlet reported, but Garcia-Morales was arrested the next day in Hackensack and charged with giving false information and attempted burglary.
Authorities said Hernando Garcia-Morales faces multiple charges after a rock smashed through a school bus window on the New Jersey Turnpike. ( Department of Homeland Security)
The Municipal Court of Hackensack downgraded the charges on Sept. 20, 2023, leaving Garcia-Morales with a 30-day jail sentence and a $905 fine for disorderly conduct.
Authorities told Yeshivat Noam Jewish day school officials that Garcia-Morales confessed to the specific incident on the New Jersey Turnpike, as well as several other rock-throwing incidents in the area, the school said.
A superior court judge ruled on Jan. 16 that Garcia-Morales would remain in Bergen County jail until the case is resolved, according to The Post.
The Justice Department announced last year it was suing four New Jersey cities, accusing local officials of obstructing federal law and undermining efforts to enforce immigration laws through their sanctuary city policies.
