A Mother Reported a Teen Bully for Racially Taunting Her Son. Then He Beat Her Unconscious, Police Say

When Beronica Ruiz went to pick up her 12-year-old son from school in Passaic, N.J., last week, it wasn’t the first time that day she needed to be there. Hours earlier, Ruiz and her husband had met with the school’s vice principal over concerns that their son was threatened by other students who allegedly chanted “All Mexicans should go back behind the wall,” the family’s attorney told The Washington Post.

The New Jersey couple was upset the school didn’t inform them about the taunts, but left the June 19 meeting feeling “somewhat reassured” after the vice principal said he would contact the students and their parents, said Daniel Santiago, the lawyer.

But as Ruiz, who was pushing her 1-year-old daughter in a stroller, walked home from Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 with her son that afternoon, the boy noticed they weren’t alone. Three boys trailed behind — and he recognized them.

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Moments later, a 13-year-old boy allegedly attacked. Santiago said the boy first punched Ruiz’s son in the face. When the 35-year-old mother tried to step in, the teen hit her and “threw her to the ground,” causing her to lose consciousness, Santiago said.

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On Tuesday, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office announced that the 13-year-old, who fled the scene, had been arrested and charged following the June 19 incident. He faces one count each of aggravated assault and simple assault, and has been released to his parents pending an appearance in family court, according to the news release. The attack was condemned by Passaic City Mayor Hector C. Lora, who said in a statement to The Post that he was “outraged,” adding, “what happened to the mother is unacceptable.”

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However, Santiago maintains that the violent attack could have been avoided if the school had responded differently to the initial bullying complaint, noting that he is planning to file a lawsuit on behalf of the family. School officials did not respond to requests for comment late Tuesday.

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The 13-year-old suspect is African American, Santiago said. Ruiz and her husband are Mexican and are in the U.S. on work permits while they await green cards, but their children are American citizens, he said.

The day before the alleged assault, Santiago said Ruiz’s son was in the school cafeteria when a group of students started mocking him about his ethnicity, telling him to “Go back behind the wall.”

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During the meeting with the school’s vice principal, the administrator admitted fault, telling the parents that “it slipped his mind” and “he should have contacted them,” Santiago claimed.

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It is not exactly clear what motivated the 13-year-old to allegedly go after Ruiz and her son, but the mother told NBC New York that the teen was swearing loudly when he approached the family on the street. Ruiz said when she tried to get the 13-year-old to stop, he told her to “shut up” and punched her.

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When Ruiz was released from the hospital, she and her husband took their son back to school only to discover that the teen was still attending classes “as if nothing had happened,” Santiago said.

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The school has also now offered to pay for the family’s medical bills, Santiago said.

“We do appreciate the gesture,” he said, “but at this point, it’s too little too late.”

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