Man Charged in Bus Attack Identified as Illegal Immigrant with Extensive Criminal History

A man accused of throwing a rock at a school bus from a New Jersey Turnpike overpass, resulting in serious injuries to an 8-year-old girl, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico with a long criminal record. This information has been reported following investigations.

Hernando Garcia Morales, 40, allegedly launched a rock, roughly the size of a baseball, at a bus making its way back to Teaneck after a field trip to the Liberty Science Center on January 7.

Upon his arrest two days later at a homeless camp in Palisades Park, he reportedly told police that he perceived the bus as “the devil or the enemy.”

Federal officials indicated that there should not have been a situation that allowed someone like Garcia-Morales to pose a threat in the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is still investigating when and how he entered the country illegally, but his criminal activity in New Jersey goes back two decades.

According to the DHS, he was arrested in 2006 for weapons possession and theft. Furthermore, his recent history includes two separate run-ins with law enforcement in 2023, but no charges were pursued due to New Jersey’s sanctuary laws.

On July 23, 2023, he faced robbery charges after allegedly breaking into a building in Hackensack; however, those charges were dropped. The following day, he was again arrested in Hackensack on a charge of providing false information and attempted robbery.

Those charges were eventually lessened by the Hackensack Municipal Court, leading to a mere 30-day jail sentence and a $905 fine for disorderly conduct.

In his 2006 case, he received a sentence of 330 days in jail. Authorities have also stated he is a suspect in several other incidents of stone-throwing that year, which targeted vehicles and police officers.

DHS noted that even with his violent actions, Garcia-Morales has not faced deportation due to New Jersey’s immigration policy designed to protect undocumented immigrants.

“The targeted violence towards school buses filled with children is incredibly malevolent,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of DHS. “Hernando Garcia Morales should never have entered this country, much less be allowed to be released after multiple arrests in New Jersey.”

The Justice Department is currently suing several cities in New Jersey for allegedly obstructing federal immigration officials from deporting criminal undocumented immigrants.

In the meantime, the injured third-grader has returned home in Bergenfield, as confirmed by her family.

Teaneck Mayor Mark Schwartz expressed relief, stating, “She is back and recovering well, and we are very happy to hear that her attacker has been arrested.”

The girl, a student at Yeshivat Noam School in Teaneck, suffered serious injuries, including a deep cut on her forehead and a fracture in her orbital bone, according to prosecutors.

She received medical care at Hackensack Meridian Hospital, where a titanium mesh and screws were used to repair her extensive injuries.

Family attorney Ross Rosenberg emphasized the family’s desire for full prosecution of those responsible for the attack.

Garcia-Morales faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault and weapons possession, related to the rock incident. His attorney has mentioned his struggles with mental illness but has yet to file an official petition.

A mugshot taken after his arrest showed Garcia-Morales with an unsettling expression and chipped front teeth.

He appeared in Superior Court where Judge Mark Ramundo decided he would remain in the Bergen County Jail until the case is resolved, emphasizing that “the extraordinary randomness alone poses an additional level of danger to the community.”