Four members of the wrestling team at a South Jersey high school have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and other charges related to an alleged sexual locker room hazing incident involving a broomstick, according to a report.
The arrested students, juveniles, are students and members of the wrestling team at Arthur P. Schalick High School in Salem County, New Jersey. The students, who wrestle for the high school, located in Pittsgrove Township, have been arrested and accused of "stripping a victim in a shower area at the school, restraining that victim and threatening to assault the victim with a broomstick," reported nj.com, citing a statement from Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan.
The Arthur P. Schalick High School wrestling team is scheduled to start its 2018-19 season this Saturday. It was unclear if the match would take place, school officials said.
The arrests follow last month's report that four high school football players in Maryland were arrested for allegedly assaulting and raping freshman players in a locker room hazing incident involving a broomstick.
The New Jersey wrestlers, who were not named since they are juveniles, have been charged with "aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, criminal restraint, conspiracy to commit criminal restraint, hazing, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, conspiracy to possess a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and conspiracy to unlawfully possess a weapon," according to authorities.
Arthur P. Schalick High School serves more than 500 students in grades 9-12.
"Exercising an abundance of caution to protect the rights of the victim, the rights of the juveniles involved and the sanctity of this investigation, I cannot make any other comments nor can I answer any questions at this time," Lenahan said, in a statement to nj.com.
Pittsgrove Township School District Superintendent Scott Hoopes told The Daily Journal that school administrators learned earlier this week of events that "apparently transpired" involving Schalick's wrestling program, prompting investigation.
"Because of these pending investigations, and because the corrective actions which have been taken and are being considered involve students and staff, I am unable at this time to provide more details," Hoopes told The Daily Journal.
In Maryland last month, four 15-year-old football players allegedly assaulted four freshmen on the junior varsity team in the locker room and a broomstick was involved. The 15-year-olds allegedly assaulted four freshmen on the junior varsity team in the locker room at Damascus High School in Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., allegedly violating one with a broomstick. The students were charged with first-degree rape.
The suspects reportedly said the act was a "tradition" and "'the broom started from generations ago," according to a report from CBS News. Authorities charged them as adults, despite their juvenile status.
"They had total control of what they were doing. They knew what they were doing. It wasn't just like a stupid kid thing, they knew what they were doing, so I feel like they should be properly charged," said Kylie Sumner, a Damascus High School sophomore, according to the newsandtribune.com.
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