New Jersey police have arrested a man after a rock was thrown into a school bus filled with Jewish children, fracturing one girl’s skull.
The bus was taking students from Yeshivat Noam back to their school after a trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City when a rock the size of a baseball crashed through a bus window at about 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to WABC-TV.
The 8-year-old third grader who suffered a fractured skull was the only student injured.
Police arrested Hernando Garciamorales, 40, of Palisades Park.
The arrest came after police tracked him to a spot in Old Croaker County Park in Bergen County, where Garciamorales had made a campsite.
He was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, resisting arrest by flight, and hindering.
Police said he has been linked to rock-throwing incidents in Bogota Borough, Bergen County.
🚨 BREAKING: Outrage has erupted after Mexican man Hernando Morales threw a ROCK inside a school bus window in NJ, FRACTURING the skull of an 8-year-old girl
He made a funny face for the mug shot. Scum.
I want more deportations than I wanted yesterday.pic.twitter.com/s4XlhspGfX
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 12, 2026
The Jewish Federation said it is aware of the incident.
“The girl will be OK. She did have surgery Thursday for a fractured skull, and she is recovering,” Teaneck Mayor Mark J. Schwartz said, according to the New York Post.
“There’s no indication it’s a bias crime. At the same time, it was a slow-moving bus off a ramp with visibly Jewish kids inside,” Schwartz said, according to NJ.com.
“We don’t want to rush to make accusations of antisemitism or racism. But because of the times we’re in and the fact that was a Yeshiva bus with visibly Jewish kids, we’re treading carefully,” he said.
In a post on X, the World Jewish Congress shared its concerns.
“Reports have emerged of a disturbing incident in New Jersey on January 7, in which a school bus of yeshiva students was attacked on the road when an unidentified individual threw an object at the bus. A third-grade child was injured in the head, sustaining a skull fracture, as the object broke through the bus window,” the post said.
Reports have emerged of a disturbing incident in New Jersey on January 7, in which a school bus of yeshiva students was attacked on the road when an unidentified individual threw an object at the bus. A third-grade child was injured in the head, sustaining a skull fracture, as… pic.twitter.com/JFSsxXwvkR
— World Jewish Congress (@WorldJewishCong) January 9, 2026
“We are horrified by the attack on a school bus carrying New Jersey yeshiva students and pray for the full recovery of the child who was injured. No child should ever be put in harm’s way simply because of who they are,” Phil Rosen (@fragilephil1) Chair of the World Jewish Congress-American Section said.
“Throwing stones at vehicles is not harmless mischief. It is a violent act that can maim or kill — a tactic we have seen used for years on the roads of Israel to terrorize civilians. The danger is real, and the consequences are often devastating,” he said.
“Too often, this kind of violence is minimized or excused. It should not be. When an object is hurled at a bus full of children, the intent is to cause fear and injury. That is terror, and it must be condemned clearly and without qualification,” he said.
The school said it is focused on helping the students cope with the incident, the Post reported.
The school “has deployed its mental health and guidance teams to support the students and their families,” Yeshivat Noam wrote in a message to parents.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” Rabbi Chaim Hagler, Head of School at Yeshivat Noam, wrote.
“Our focus remains on supporting the injured student and her family, as well as ensuring the emotional health of our entire student body. We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure a thorough investigation,” Hagler said.
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