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.

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.