Background: A photo of the school bus that was hit by a rock on Jan. 7 (New Jersey State Police). Inset: Hernando Garciamorales (Bergen County Sheriff's Office).
A New Jersey man was arrested days after an 8-year-old girl suffered a fractured skull when a rock hit the school bus she was riding in.
Hernando Garciamorales, 40, 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, according to the New Jersey State Police in a Facebook post on Friday. Police said Garciamorales was connected to an incident that took place on the afternoon of Jan. 7, when a school bus carrying children northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike in Teaneck Township, New Jersey, was struck by a rock the size of a baseball.
An 8-year-old passenger was hit in the head when the rock broke through the glass window of the bus, causing her severe injuries, including a fractured skull, that required surgery. Local ABC affiliate WABC reported that the bus was on its way back to the Yeshivat Noam school after a third-grade field trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. The girl is expected to recover. No other students or adults were reported injured.
Police said they found Garciamorales at a "self-made campsite" within Bergen County, where the alleged incident took place. After his arrest, police said further investigation found that Garciamorales was connected to "multiple rock-throwing incidents" in the county. Further details about those alleged incidents were not provided.
Garciamorales is being held at Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing, police said. His next court date was not provided.
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