A New Jersey man was arrested after he confronted a student in a high school classroom after accusing him of harassing his daughter.
According to NJ.com, 38-year-old Aaron Thomas entered Paulsboro High School on Monday, March 11, at around 11:30 a.m. to take his daughter out of class. But once he arrived at the school, he looked for the boy instead. A video showed Thomas approaching the student and demanding that he apologize to his daughter.
“You got a problem with my daughter? Apologize to my daughter,” said Thomas.
“I didn’t do nothing to her,” the student said to him.
“You heard what the f**k I said. Apologize to my daughter… Now,” the father told the student.
Another student came to the teenager’s defense, and Thomas reportedly argued with him and challenged him to a fight. A teacher finally intervened and escorted Thomas out of the classroom.
The altercation occurred because the daughter claimed the student was sharing photos with others. It is unclear what kind of photos were shared.
A police affidavit stated that the teacher did not have his school radio within reach, so he could not contact school security while the incident was playing out. He didn’t attempt to reach for it and instead tried to de-escalate the incident by talking to Thomas. The school’s head of security was not told about the incident until Thomas had left the school grounds.
Police officers were called to Paulsboro High School around 2:15 p.m., nearly three hours after the incident occurred.
Thomas was arrested later that afternoon and charged with two counts of third-degree terroristic threats, along with simple assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct.
The school district and the Paulsboro Police Department are investigating the incident. Its statement read, “Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, additional details about the situation cannot be released to the public.
“Safety and security of our staff and students is paramount. Unfortunate situations such as these gives us an opportunity to reflect and analyze current practices to further strengthen the district’s safety and security procedures to ensure that our schools are a safe place for all students and staff.”