An incident at Hillcrest High School led to the arrest of four students accused of attacking school safety officers who were trying to mediate a confrontation.
This event occurred just days before an unruly crowd of students created havoc in the school’s pathways, purportedly in response to a teacher’s participation in a pro-Israel demonstration. A disturbing video highlighting a moment from the violent episode involving one police officer was uploaded on social media and later confirmed as valid by the authorities.
The altercation took place around midday on November 15th, triggering when a trio of students engaged in a struggle with two of their peers. School safety officers stepped in, attempting to pacify the situation, but ended up on the receiving end of several strikes, as reported by the law enforcement agency.
Three school officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) suffered injuries in their setting-apart effort during the disorderly event, as confirmed by the police. Four students, composed of two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds, were taken into custody and handed juvenile reports, based on details provided by the NYPD.
Juvenile reports are issued by the department in place of misdemeanor or felony charges when the individuals in question are youthful minors. A video clip of the incident, shared on a social media platform X by Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, depicts a student dressed in a gray sweatshirt evading the hold of a cop before pouncing on another student, who was swiftly defended by a second officer in uniform.
A Republican member of the New York City Council expressed that the administration at Hillcrest is ‘completely ineffectual’. The councilman suggested shutting down the institution entirely, advocating for a comprehensive investigation. The concerned incident involved tackles on three safety officers at Hillcrest High School.
The social media video depicts the student in the gray hoodie, and at least one other student, launching a series of punches at the back of the second officer’s head. The law enforcement officer appears to be shielding the student from further attacks.
Vickie Paladino, a Republican Councilwoman in New York City, denounced the administration at Hillcrest High School as ‘completely ineffectual’. She recommended the shutdown of the entire institution pending an all-inclusive investigation of the incident. The councilwoman stressed, ‘This lawlessness should not persist in our educational institutions. We must prioritize reinstating order and discipline.’
Two of the arrested individuals were 15-year-old boys and the other two were 16-year-old boys. They received juvenile reports as a part of the procedure, as detailed by the NYPD. The department had stated regarding the episode, ‘Acts of violence in our educational institutions will not be condoned.’
An attempt to reach the NYC Department of Education via email about the incident has yet to garner a response. The violence at Hillcrest High School came to light in the wake of a previous report by The Post, which recounted another violent episode where a faculty member found safety by locking herself inside an office as a crowd of students filled the corridors.
The high school students participated in a chaotic rally after discovering that one of their educators had attended a pro-Israel demonstration the previous month. They exhibited their disapproval and agitation by shouting, jumping, and waving Palestinian flags and other signs.
A group of NYPD officers was dispatched to restore calm at Hillcrest. After several hours of disruption, the students were guided back to their classrooms and the concerned teacher was escorted out of the school premises, as per sources affiliated with the NYPD.
Following the revelation of the incident, Mayor Eric Adams criticized the ‘appalling display of antisemitism’ at the Hillcrest institution. His sentiments were expressed in a statement released on platform X last Saturday following the reporting by The Post. The city’s Department of Education too deemed the students’ actions against the educator as ‘utterly inexcusable’.
