12 Bergen Students Charged After Brawl Breaks Out: Cops

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — Criminal charges have been filed against 12 Dwight Morrow High School students after a large fight broke out there Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Six of the 12 students are of adult age and were charged with failure to disperse, said Englewood police Deputy Chief Gregory Halstead. Five juvenile-age students were also charged with failure to disperse. Another juvenile was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Police received a 911 call from the district disciplinarian at about 1 p.m. about a large fight in the south building. School security and staff stopped the fight by the time police arrived, Halstead said.

The fight, police said, involved rival factions of students. A cause of what started it was not clear, Halstead said.

Indications suggest that the altercation began verbally between boys and then "escalated to blows," the deputy chief said.

The girls involved also got into verbal altercations. There were no reports of weapons used during the brawl, Halstead said.

A student was treated for an eye injury by emergency medical personnel and released.

All the students involved were suspended from school Wednesday. The suspensions may be longer depending on how much each kid was involved in the fight. More severe disciplinary measures may be enacted, Halstead said.

Members of the police department's Youth Services Division and school officials are investigating the brawl.

Anyone with information is asked to call the administrative office at Dwight Morrow High School or the Englewood Police Department Youth Services Center at 201-568-4713.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com