NJ H.S. hazers and adults face jail time
 

September 21, 2002



Eight juveniles charged in a July hazing incident were arraigned Friday, and pleaded not guilty to counts of aggravated assault and hazing.

The youths, along with five adults, participated in or were present during a rite inducting three Hawthorne (NJ) High School freshmen into the Sigma Kappa Delta fraternity, police said. The adults are alumni of the school.

Three boys were paddled so severely on their bare buttocks that they were sent to the hospital, authorities said. The assault took place July 27 when the three boys were blindfolded and brought to a secluded section of woods across the county line in Ridgewood, police said. The case will be heard in state Superior Court in Paterson because Hawthorne has the strongest interest in the case, officials have said.

The youths will next be in court on Oct. 28. The teens face up to two years in a juvenile prison. The maximum prison term for the adults would be five years. All of the youths have been released to their parents, and the adult defendants are free on bail.