Four New Jersey teenagers have been charged in connection with the attack on a 14-year-old girl who later took her own life after a video of the incident was shared on social media.
One juvenile is charged with aggravated assault, two juveniles are charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one juvenile is charged with harassment, Ocean County District Attorney Bradley D. Billhimer told CBS News in an email.
Adriana Couch, 14, was found dead in her home in Bayville on February 3, two days after a disturbing video of the attack at Central Regional High School was released online. The video showed the girls throwing a drink at the teenager, then kicking and dragging him through the school corridors. They pushed Adriana into the red lockers in the hallways of the school, and one of the girls in a pink shirt hit Kuch several times.
Another girl outside the video frame laughed as she recorded the scene. Two adults came forward to stop the attack, one of whom stretched the teenagers. Adriana lay injured and bruised on the hallway floor as an adult tried to help her up.
One of the girls said, “That’s what you’re going to get.”
“She loved life. She was the happiest child. She was loved by everyone,” said her father, Michael Couch. said CBS New York on Thursdayadding that he is angry and wants everyone to see the video and what the teenagers did to his daughter.
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Kuch said the police should have been called immediately because the students he said his daughter had a problem with smashed her face with a 20-ounce bottle.
“If they had called the police and investigated, these girls would not have posted the video from school,” Kuch said.
He also said that his daughter, who had bruises on her body, had to be taken to the hospital.
“We always review every bullying issue, and on the day of the incident, four students were suspended,” Dr. Triantafilos Parlapanides, superintendent of schools, told CBS New York.
School officials told CBS New York that they have notified the family and called Adriana’s death “horrific.”
Each teenager and their guardian were served a copy of their complaint and were released pending future court appearances, the prosecutor told CBS News.
On Wednesday, students of the school organized an action in support of Adriana’s family.
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/adriana-kuch-new-jersey-online-attack-video-four-charged/