BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Officials are “deeply disturbed” following a carjacking by a 15-year-old from Bonnie Brae School who reportedly assaulted and severely injured a Bernards Township resident earlier this month. Now the Township Committee is looking to the school to take action to prevent this from happening again.
“Public safety is my highest priority as part of that focus I am deeply disturbed by last Wednesday’s incident,” said Committeeman and Liason to the Township Police Department Andrew McNally during the Nov. 12 Committee meeting. “Therefore with the support of my colleagues on this dais and the coordination with the police department, we are taking actions to respond to this incident. Our focus is on steps that Bonnie Brae can take to prevent its residents from leaving the campus without authorization. And we’re doing this along with the leadership at Bonnie Brae with whom I’ve been in touch with.”
The carjacking happened on Nov. 6 at a gas station in the area of Valley Road. The 15-year-old juvenile from Bonnie Brae had tried to steal a vehicle after assaulting the driver (a Bernards Township adult male resident), who was outside of his vehicle putting air in his tires, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.. Read More: 15-Year-Old Carjacker Assaults, Runs Over Driver In Basking Ridge: PD
The juvenile reportedly hit the driver, got into the vehicle, accelerated forward, and ran over the victim – who had fallen to the ground and got caught underneath the vehicle before it came to a stop, said McDonald.
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Bonnie Brae is a private school/residential treatment center, at 3415 Valley Road in the Liberty Corner section of the township, that works with youth struggling with issues who were either court-ordered to be admitted or admitted by a parent or guardian looking to help them.
“Bonnie Brae understands the gravity of the situation and I expect them to take concrete actions to enhance security so the events of last Wednesday do not recur. The specific actions that Bonnie Brae will take will be the subject of a detailed upcoming discussion, maybe multiple discussions, that I will have with Bonnie Brae along with my co-liaison to police Janice Fields and our police leadership,” said McNally.
The Nov. 6 incident isn’t the first time a teen has gone missing from Bonnie Brae School. From September 2023 until Nov. 14, 2024, 49 teens were reported missing, according to data gathered by Patch.
That number is down from the previous year when 206 residents (who range in age from 14 to 20) went missing from January through Sept. 18, 2023. Read More: 206 Teens Go Missing From Bonnie Brae School So Far In 2023
In 2022, 115 residents went missing and 117 residents in 2021.
“Safety and security are at the core of our work at Bonnie Brae. Our well-established protocols enabled our team and local law enforcement to respond swiftly, providing immediate aid to the victim and ensuring the individual was apprehended and detained. The juvenile has been discharged from our facility and will not return to campus,” a Spokesperson for Bonnie Brae told Patch in regards to the carjacking. “As we continue to evaluate and enhance our policies and procedures, we look forward to our continued dialogue and partnership with township officials, law enforcement and our community. Our focus is on being well-equipped to empower and transform the lives of our youth, as we have done for over a century.”
McNally concluded that he would report back to the community with updates on the Township’s and Bonnie Brae’s progress in the future.
“We intend to move swiftly, we expect to see specific actions in the near term. Some of these actions may be seen, others may be unseen given the recency of the incident and the fact that these are security matters I will not get ahead of myself on the specifics,” said McNally.
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