Christie: Alleged hazing a ‘stigmatizing event’ for victims

During his monthly appearance on Townsquare Media's Ask The Governor on Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie called the alleged hazing attacks on members of the Sayreville War Memorial High School football team "a stigmatizing event" for the victims.

Scoreboard at Sayreville High School (Dino Flammia, Townsquare Media NJ)

""This was an awfully stigmatizing event for these freshman," Christie said during Ask The Governor, adding that the events, according to reports, went on for a long time within the high school's football program.

The governor said he hopes the charges filed against the defendants will show everyone that signing anti-bullying laws aren't always enough to prevent this kind of conduct. There also needs to be heightened awareness.

Christie said we need to look at how we can get the message out about the destructive nature of bullying.

"These are real life consequences. These folks have been arrested, and they're facing criminal charges," Christie said of the seven Sayreville defendants.

When asked if he felt the ongoing investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office could produce additional information or charges, Christie said it's a possibility, since authorities are still looking into the scandal.

“We need to make sure we look at this very very carefully and not let anyone who was involved in this kind of conduct to get off easily," Christie.

During a recent press conference last week, Christie expressed outrage at allegations of hazing and intimidation surrounding a central New Jersey high school’s football team, calling accounts of the conduct “extraordinarily disturbing” and “a nightmare” for parents.

On Oct. 10, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office announced that charges were filed against seven juveniles in connection with alleged attacks on four victims, in four separate incidents at Sayreville War Memorial High School. Three of the seven were charged with sexual assault.

Six of the seven suspects were taken into custody late Friday, “on charges of juvenile delinquency arising from the attacks,” according to a press release issued by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief John Zebrowski of the Sayreville Police Department. The seventh juvenile surrendered to police Saturday, according to an update from authorities.

News of the alleged assault and subsequent arrests left community members struggling to come to terms with the incidents, which involved local athletes and prompted the district to cancel the remainder of the district’s 2014 football season. In response at least 600 community members gathered at a local park on Oct. 12 for a vigil in honor of the victims of the assaults, and to bring awareness to the dangers of bullying. The vigil, and symbolic walk around the lake in Kennedy Park, was also an effort to applaud the victims of the attacks who came forward and reported what was happening in the locker room at the high school.

As the community continues to struggle with the allegations in the wake of the hazing, Sayreville has hired a high-powered crisis management firm, Abernathy MacGregor, to help local officials field questions about the incidents, according to an article on NJ.com. The article states that, according to an anonymous source close to the district, "the services are provided through the district’s insurance provider."

Christie: Alleged hazing a ‘stigmatizing event’ for victims

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