BAYONNE, NJ — A New Jersey teacher saw a student being attacked by a group of other teens and used her own body to protect him.
It happened Tuesday outside Shemin Midtown Community School in Bayonne.
Five teens arrested in attack outside Bayonne school
A dramatic video shows a boy being stomped, punched and dragged by a group of teenagers. Spectators stood and watched, but Cathy Hurley did the opposite.
Hurley tries to reach out but is ignored. The special education teacher then places her body on top of the victim and also covers his head to protect him from further harm.
“It’s not until she takes his head in her arms that there is any kind of response or cessation of the attack,” said Hurley’s daughter Frances Sielski.
Police said the victim was unconscious at one point.
“The fact that this poor child was actually brutally attacked really upsets her,” Sielski said.
Within two days, police arrested five teenagers and charged them with aggravated assault, endangering an injured victim and rioting.
‘It really is a vicious attack. I can’t imagine you knowing just standing there,” Sielski said.
“She acted like an angel”
So far, the school principal has not responded to CBS News New York’s request for comment, but Sielski says she isn’t surprised her mother used her body as a shield. She says the former EMT and devoted grandmother always stood up for the underdog.
“It was instinctive. She absolutely jumped in and obviously did whatever it took to save someone’s life,” Sielski said. “I just think she acted like an angel in this case and it’s those people who are really regular Joes who end up having the biggest impact and ultimately having the most impact.”
Hurley’s daughter says her mother went back to work the next day to take care of her students, and although she is getting a lot of attention for this incident, her daughter says she laid low because what she did was a no-brainer.
Alecia Reid
