Bayonne, NJ teacher credited with saving badly beaten teen

BAYONNE — Four minors and an 18-year-old have been charged in connection with the brutal beating of a juvenile near an elementary school.

If a teacher hadn't intervened, it's possible the boy wouldn't have survived the attack.

The alleged assault occurred just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of William Shemin Midtown Community School. According to police, the five actors knocked the victim to the ground and repeatedly kicked and stomped his body and head.

Police say a bystander intervened by shielding the victim with her body, and those actions stopped the attack.

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The boy was knocked unconscious during the attack, and he sustained moderate injuries, according to police. The boy was treated locally and released a short time later.

When the attack was interrupted, the actors fled on foot, police said. Between Tuesday and Thursday, four minors were taken into custody and 18-year-old Educarray McGhie, of Bayonne, was arrested. Each individual has been charged with aggravated assault, riot, and endangering an injured victim.

According to a report by NJ.com, Cathy Hurley, a special-education teacher at William Shemin, is the woman who acted as a "human shield" to protect the assault victim.

A 28-second video shared online showed a segment of the beating, and Hurley's successful attempt to intervene, according to NJ.com.

McGhie was transported to Hudson Correctional Facility after processing. The four male juveniles were remanded to different youth correctional facilities in New Jersey.

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