Sayreville HS hazing case will be closed to the public

Despite the media's efforts, the proceedings in the Sayreville high school hazing scandal will be closed to the public, NJ.com has reported.

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

In a 10-page decision released by a New Jersey appeals court today, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey rejected the efforts of media organizations to allow the press and members of the public into the juvenile court hearings involving the alleged hazing and sexual assaults. The incidents led to the cancellation of Sayreville War Memorial High School's 2014 football season.

The appellate court's decision upheld a Family Court judge's November ruling to bar reporters from covering the trial citing the ages of the players and potential "community backlash" against them, according to MyCentralJersey.com. The judge's order was appealed by several news outlets including NJ Advance Media, publisher of the Star-Ledger as well as Gannett New Jersey, Home News Tribune, ABC and the Associated Press.

Although the press will not be permitted into the courtroom, NJ.com reports that the Appellate court "did uphold the media's right to use information, including the juvenile's names, if it's obtained outside of court records and proceedings."

Seven students ages 15-17 on the Bombers football team were charged with juvenile delinquency by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office in connection with four separate alleged attacks on underclassmen that took place in the high school locker room. Three of the students were charged with sexual assault.Authorities say the charges stem from incidents that allegedly took place on various dates between Sept. 19 and 29 of 2014 and involved one or more of the defendants holding the victims against their will, “while other juvenile defendants improperly touched the juvenile victims in a sexual manner.”

Filed Under: Sayreville, Sayreville HS football

Categories: New Jersey News