A 14-year-old student is recovering from serious injuries after being stabbed during lunch at a private special-needs school in Passaic County, New Jersey, according to local authorities.
Wayne police responded to the Lakeview Learning Center, located inside the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, around 12:38 p.m. Monday following reports of a violent altercation between two students. The school specializes in serving middle and high school students with behavioral, emotional, and learning disabilities.
According to police, a fight broke out in the cafeteria between the 14-year-old and 18-year-old Rayshawn Christian of Elizabeth. During the confrontation, Christian allegedly stabbed the younger student multiple times in the chest.
Staff members quickly intervened to stop the attack, and emergency responders from the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad provided immediate treatment before transporting the victim to Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson. He underwent emergency surgery and remains hospitalized.
Christian was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon both generally and within an educational institution. Authorities said they recovered the knife used in the stabbing.
As police processed the scene and interviewed witnesses, school officials implemented a shelter-in-place protocol to ensure the safety of other students.
Lakeview Learning Center is described as an alternative therapeutic private school that serves students with conditions such as ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric or mood disorders. The school draws students from nine New Jersey counties, including Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.
Christian is currently being held at the Passaic County Jail as the investigation continues.
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