ICE Lodges Arrest Detainer for Criminal Illegal Alien Accused of Throwing Rocks at School Bus and Fracturing 8-Year-Old’s Skull in New Jersey

This criminal illegal alien was released into New Jersey communities after multiple arrests

WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer against Hernando Garcia-Morales, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico accused of throwing a baseball-sized rock into a school bus and fracturing an 8-year-old student's skull in Teaneck Township, New Jersey.

Hernando Garcia-Morales

According to local reports, on January 7, the school bus was traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike to Yeshivat Noam, a local Jewish day school, returning from a field trip at Liberty Science Center. This is when Garcia-Morales threw a rock at the vehicle, breaking a window and hitting the third-grade student. The young girl was forced to have surgery.

Two days later, on January 9, New Jersey Turnpike State Police arrested Garcia-Morales for Aggravated Assault, Resisting Arrest, and Possession of Weapon. The Bogota Police Department also charged him for Aggravated Assault, Criminal Trespassing-Defiant, Criminal Trespassing Peering, and Criminal Mischief-Damage Property.

Garcia-Morales has had an extensive criminal history while living in sanctuary state New Jersey. In 2023, he was arrested for burglary. In 2006, he was arrested for possession of a weapon and theft.

This illegal alien entered the country at an unknown date and time.

"Violently targeting a school bus full of children is extremely wicked and heinous," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Hernando Garcia-Morales should have never been in this country, let alone released after multiple arrests into New Jersey communities. ICE has lodged an arrest detainer against this monster, and we hope New Jersey's sanctuary politicians will help us keep him off American streets for good. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminal illegal aliens have no place in the U.S."

Secretary Noem relaunched the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office. The VOICE office was shuttered by the previous administration, which left victims of alien crime without access to many key support services and resources. The office was first launched in 2017 by the Trump administration as a dedicated resource for those who have been victimized by crime with a nexus to immigration.

If you or a loved one has been impacted by a crime committed by an illegal alien, you are not alone. Call 1-855-48-VOICE (1-855-488-6423).

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