'Real Housewives' star: Library kicked out my son, who has autism

FRANKLIN LAKES — Real Housewives of New Jersey Jacqueline Laurita says her son, who has autism, was kicked out of "one of his favorite spots" — the local library.

In the message posted witha video on Instagram Sunday, Laurita said her son Nicholas was asked to leave the public library, though she did not specify when it happened. In the video, the child can be seen taking DVDs from a shelf and tapping on them. In the background there are sounds of the boy being quieted, after which, Laurita said, they were told to leave.

"He had a meltdown as I struggled to get him to leave," she said. "Not one person offered or tried to help, or even opened the door for us. They just watched me struggle to get him out ... as asked."

In a subsequent post Laurita said she was "not OK" with what had happened and included several hashtags with the post, including TimeForChange, TimeForInclusion, and TimeToSpeakUp.

A statement from the library's board of trustees said they "welcome all visitors and happily accommodate everyone."

"It is our joy to enjoy the Franklin Lakes Public Library and we expect all to respect others doing the same," the statement said. "No patron is ever asked to leave the Library unless and until their actions are depriving other patrons of their ability to enjoy our services."

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Contact reporter Adam Hochron at 609-359-5326 or Adam.Hochron@townsquaremedia.com