N.J. High School Freshman Takes Life After Video of Beating Posted Online
Four students have been charged in the beating of Adriana Kuch, and the district superintendent has resigned over his handling of the matter.
Photo via Adobe, By asiandelight
Berkeley Twp., New Jersey – A 14-year-old freshman at Central Regional High School was found dead in her home on February 3 of an apparent suicide. Only two days earlier, the girl had been viciously beaten by classmates on campus.
Four female students at the school have been indefinitely suspended and charged in the attack, reports The Associated Press. One juvenile was charged with aggravated assault, two were charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and one was charged with harassment. All four students and their guardians were given copies of the complaints and were released pending future court appearances.
The video of the beating, which was posted online, showed Adriana Kuch and her boyfriend walking down the hallway of their high school when a female student walked up to Kuch and began hitting her in the face with a water bottle, reports Fox5. Kuch then fell to the ground and was repeatedly kicked and punched by students. A classmate took the video, and that student was heard cheering as the attack happened.
The beating stopped when two school employees intervened. Kuch was then taken to the school nurse for treatment.
Adriana’s father, Michael Kuch, blames the district for not immediately calling police about the matter. He also says it wasn’t enough for his daughter to just go to the school nurse when she had blacked out during the attack.
As far as a motive for the beating is concerned, Michael told WNBC-TV that his daughter and one of her attackers didn’t like each other and one of the girls had been threatening Adriana online. On Facebook, he wrote, “These 4 girls planned and executed an attack.”
The district superintendent, Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides, resigned Saturday over his handling of the matter, according to WCSC. Prior to his resignation, Parlapanides suggested in interviews with the media that Adriana had used drugs and that her father refused the district’s offers to help, reports NBC News. Those comments caught the attention of the school board and he subsequently resigned.
Michael Kuch said the district was blaming his daughter and that drug counseling had not been offered to her. Michael also said that Adriana only experimented with a marijuana vape pen.
The district did not disclose any more information on Parlapanides’ resignation. Before his departure, the superintendent told parents in a letter that a student walkout in protest of the attack interfered with the learning process and future protests would need prior approval from administrators.
Other videos of bullying attacks at the high school have come to light since Adriana Kuch’s death, including two from 2022, reports NBC New York. Both victims in those incidents had to be transferred out of the school after the attacks.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can text TALK to 741741 or initiate an online chat at suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/. Additional resources can also be found at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
