Prosecutor: Bayonne HS teacher attempting to stop fight strikes student in the head
Joseph Mingoia, 68, is being charged with assault and child endangerment.
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A Bayonne teacher was charged with assault and child endangerment for punching a female student, according to officials. The decision to file criminal charges was made by the Hudson County prosecutor.
Six weeks after the incident, 68-year-old Joseph Mingoia is being charged. He has been on administrative leave since the alleged assault.
A police investigation revealed that there was a fight in the high school between two teenage girls on Jan. 22. Several staff members attempted to break it up, including Mingoia.
RELATED: Teacher faces charges for striking female student in the head, police say
The prosecutor said Mingoia struck one of the girls in the head with a closed hand.
A parent outside the school on Tuesday told News 12 New Jersey it was the first he’d heard of the incident.
"Having two daughters that would make me a little angry," says parent Gerard Castaldo. "That’s a no-no. You can get in between, but put your hands on another student - it’s tricky."
Mingoia has his first court appearance on March 22 at the Hudson County Courthouse.
