Fort Lee High School, Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced charges against a second 16-year-old student involved in the Fort Lee High School stabbing incident on April 8, 2025. The charges in this matter are the result of a continuing investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Fort Lee Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matthew Hintze.
As previously reported, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, the Fort Lee Police Department responded to an emergency radio call from a uniformed officer assigned to Fort Lee High School. The officer reported a stabbing at the school, and additional police units were dispatched, which included assistance from neighboring jurisdictions and agencies. Responding Fort Lee Police Officers discovered a male juvenile student had been stabbed multiple times. First responders and school security personnel provided first aid before the victim was promptly transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The victim survived.
During the incident, the school was placed on lockdown. The suspect, who was identified as a 16-year-old fellow student, was apprehended on scene. A joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Fort Lee Police Department revealed that the suspect and the victim were in a school restroom and engaged in an altercation when the suspect stabbed the victim several times with a knife, causing serious injuries. The 16-year-old student was charged on April 8, 2025, with juvenile delinquency, specifically first-degree attempted murder; second-degree aggravated assault; third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
After charges were filed against the suspect, detectives continued their investigation and determined that an additional student was involved in the planning and execution of the incident. This additional suspect is also a 16-year-old juvenile student from Fort Lee High School.
On May 2, 2025, the second student was taken into protective custody and charged with juvenile delinquency, specifically: first-degree attempted murder, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1/2C: 11-3a(1)/a(2); second-degree aggravated assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b(1); third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C: 39-4d; and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5d. The juvenile was transferred to the custody of the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center, pending a closed hearing in Bergen County Superior Court, Family Law Division.
Prosecutor Mark Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants in this case are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella would like to thank the Fort Lee Police Department for its ongoing assistance and coordination in this investigation, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Englewood Cliffs Police Department, Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department, and Port Authority Police Department for their response to the incident that day.
