Published 16:21 10 Feb 2023 GMT
A 14-year-old girl has taken her own life after a video of her getting attacked by bullies at her school was shared online.
Adriana Kuch was found dead at her home just two days after the sickening attack by other girls from her school which took place on February 1.
The teen had been a student at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, and her father believes her death was fueled by long-term bullying.
A video had circulated showing Adriana being attacked by several other teens, who hit her in the face with a water bottle before kicking her as she walked with her boyfriend in a school hallway, per Patch.
Warning: the video below contains imagery which may be distressingIn the 20-second clip, a person is heard yelling: "That’s what you get, you stupid a** b****!", as others are seen laughing, pulling her hair, and kicking her.
Adriana's father Michael Kuch told ABC7 that his daughter was more hurt by the humiliation she felt from the bullying than the physical attack, which is what he believes led to her taking her own life.
He told the station: "They think it’s fun to attack people and take videos and post them. Getting hit with a water bottle didn’t hurt Adriana, what hurt her was the embarrassment and humiliation, they just kept coming at her.
"My daughter actually blacks out and they don’t call an ambulance, they take her to the nurse’s office."
He added that Adriana had "never been in a fight before" and "loves everybody."
Following Adriana's death, three girls have been charged with third-degree felony assault while a fourth was charged with disorderly conduct, per News 12 New Jersey.
Schools Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides told the outlet police were not called after the attack, as it is the school's policy to suspend those involved, and any criminal charges are down to whether the parent wishes to pursue them or not.
He said: "I don’t believe a police report was done. We normally just suspend. If a parent wants to press charges, they can with the police. We’re not going to double-whammy a kid where they are suspended and then police charges as well."
The Superintendent added to The New York Post: "If a situation warrants it we’ll call (police), but in this case, the students were suspended immediately.
"We address every incident of bullying, but some of it is on the internet and we aren’t privy to that. We’re not the internet police but we don’t put our heads in the sand."
Adriana's father responded, telling NBC New York: "A kid is assaulted with a weapon and their policy is not to call the police or file a report."
He added on Facebook: "These 4 girls planned and executed an attack. If you watch the videos I have, they are laughing while talking about what they are going to do at the start of the video."
Her father added: "I had to take my daughter covered in blood to the local police station. If the school contacted the police and filed a report and conducted an investigation, these videos could have been discovered immediately."
Adriana's father also vowed to pursue litigation against the ones who attacked his daughter and those who filmed and shared the videos, adding: "I want the entire world to know what these animals did to my daughter. I will not sleep until their family has to watch them stand in front of a judge and plead guilty."
Over 200 pupils at Central Regional High walked out of class on Wednesday in protest of the handling of the incident and demanded the school district take action over what they described as a pattern of bullying which they claim is being ignored, per ABC 7.
Students and parents have claimed that Adriana is not the only victim of bullying at the school, alleging that another student was attacked in the cafeteria last April, per Patch.
The district shared a statement on its website saying: "We fully understand that students, staff, and the community are hurting for the loss of such a young lady with a bright future."
It added that a moment of silence was held outside before the rally, continuing: "To ensure the health, safety, and well-being for all students, there will not be any rallies in the future without prior administration approval otherwise action will be taken in accordance with policy.
"It is time to start the healing process and we want to send our thoughts and prayers to the family."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Published 10:30 12 Feb 2023 GMT
A school superintendent has resigned following the death of a 14-year-old girl who took her own life after pupils shared a video of her being bullied and attacked.
Adriana Kuch died just two days after the sickening attack on February 1, where students filmed her being hit in the face with a water bottle, dragged, and kicked in a school hallway.
While her devastated family announced they were pursuing legal action against those involved and those filming the incident, hundreds of students walked out of classes at her school in protest after claiming that not enough is being done to prevent bullying in the school district.
Triantafillos Parlapanides, the head of the Central Regional School District, had also come under fire for his response to the tragedy, especially after he appeared to 'victim-blame' Kuch and her family and claim other personal issues led to her taking her own life.
Warning: video below contains footage which may be distressing to someThe superintendent had told the Daily Mail in an email: "Her father was having an affair at the end of her 6th grade. Her father married the woman he had an affair with and moved her into the house.
"Her grades and choices declined in 7th and 8th grade. We offered her drug rehab and mental services on five occasions but the father refused every time."
He added: "We tried helping her several times but mother’s suicide was a major reason she started making poor choices."
The teen's father, Michael Kuch, had denied that she had been offered drug treatment and said she had been experimenting with a weed vape as other teenagers had been.
Parlapanides's reference to Kuch's mother taking her own life seven years prior and her father's new relationship with her stepmother led to anger from the family and others following the case, who called for him to resign.
He cause further outrage by responding to a Facebook comment from an irate parent who said he'd never send his children to the school after seeing Kuch be bullied, allegedly writing: "There are two sides to every story and when was the last time you were at Central," per the New York Post.
Following Parlapanides's shocking claims, Mr Kuch told the New York Post: "I want that entire administration gone. The superintendent slandering people, bashing people. Calling Adriana a drug addict. What is wrong with this guy? He is incompetent."
It has now been revealed that Parlapanides submitted his resignation following an emergency school board meeting on Saturday, according to reports from NBC.
A notice posted to the district website read: "The Central Regional School District Board of Education has accepted the resignation of Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides," adding that the district is "evaluating all current and past allegations of bullying" and would undergo "an independent assessment" of its anti-bullying policies.
Addressing Parlapanides's resignation, Kuch's sister-in-law Jennifer Ferro said that the family viewed it as "first step complete," adding: "We just want the school to start changing and taking accountability."
Four students have been charged following the incident - one with aggravated assault, another with harassment, and two others with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer told NBC News.
Billhimer added: "Each juvenile and their guardian was served with a copy of their complaint and are released pending future court appearances."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Published 12:25 08 Apr 2023 GMT
An 11-year-old girl at the receiving end of "torturous" bullying has died after being found unresponsive in a bathroom stall at her school.
Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez was found unresponsive at F. W. Holbein School in Mount Holly on February 6 and passed away just two days later, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.
The youngster had been the victim of severe bullying for years, the girl's mother, Elaina LoAlbo, told NBC Philadelphia.
The grieving mom told the outlet: "They called her a furry. She was not a furry. They called her gay. They called her straight. They called her bi. They called her all kinds of things. My daughter was being tortured within the walls of that school."
The late pre-teen and her mom had made staff at the school aware of the taunting by her peers, but, according to LoAlbo, nothing was done about it.
LoAlbo said she reported it to Holbein authorities several times in person, and her daughter sent multiple emails to her school counselor, the most recent one four days before her death, per NBC Philadelphia.
"She’s telling her teachers. The teachers were witnesses to most of the bullying, physical altercations that were happening in classrooms and on school trips," LoAlbo said.
Felicia's body was found in a bathroom stall at her school and her subsequent death was ruled a hanging suicide by the medical examiner. This came two weeks after her dad died from pancreatic cancer.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on March 29 that its investigation, "which included a review of the school’s surveillance cameras, determined that she was alone in the restroom when this tragic action occurred. The investigation further determined that no foul play was involved."
The prosecution in the case said that they would grant the mother's request to look at the surveillance footage.
Robert Mungo, superintendent of the Mount Holly Township School District, said the school system has been cooperating with the prosecutor's office amid the investigation.
He said: "Our district suffered a loss, which continues to weigh heavily on the school community.
"School counselors and administrators, with the support of the Burlington County School Crisis Response Team, have and will continue to increase outreach to students and staff and are prepared to aid them in processing this latest information as they continue to grieve."
While Mungo did not comment specifically on the bullying Felicia endured, he did say that the district is focused on "strengthening our support system for students, especially regarding their social and emotional well-being" and is committed to "making our schools safe and secure for every student."
LoAlbo is planning to take legal action. "My next steps will be so that no other parent has to fight like I do and no other child ever has to suffer like my daughter has," she said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Published 00:38 25 Oct 2018 GMT
We've seen some shocking stories about bullying recently, from the 15-year-old disabled student who was violently assaulted to the 10-year-old girl who had to be put on suicide watch thanks to a cruel Instagram poll. Some bullies don't just give out the occasional wedgie or "stack" your locker so the books fall out when you open the door. They inflict physical and mental damage that has tragic consequences: One nine-year-old boy was bullied for being gay, and took his own life.
However, three teenagers in Independence, Missouri took bullying to a new level of vile. In a viral video posted to Facebook, they verbally and physically harass a young boy. The footage shows the boy on his knees, and the bullies yelling, "Kiss my feet!" They call him racial slurs - the N-word, despite the fact the boy appears to be white. Then, one of the bullies pulls out a gun and points it at the boy's head. After a horrifying, tense moment, he pulls the gun away, and another bully starts punching the boy.
To see the shocking incident for yourself, check out the video below:
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Last Saturday, Emily Bridges noticed that her 13-year-old son came home with bruises. However, she didn't discover what happened until her other son showed her a video of the altercation. "I was hurt," Bridges told FOX 4 KC. "I was angry. I was crying. I was mad. I was upset because he didn’t defend himself." She added that her son is on the autism spectrum, and after the assault, the bullies stole his money.
On Monday, the mother went to the Independence Police Department to report the incident. However, the officer she spoke to did not appear to be concerned. "He just really said that they're minors," said Bridges. "There's not a lot that happens to them." (Yeah, just some teenagers aiming a gun at the head of a 13-year-old boy. No biggie. What the hell, independence?) But the outraged mom didn't give up. On Tuesday, she returned to the police department and demanded someone take responsibility.
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Taking to Facebook to share the video of the incident, the understandably furious mother wrote:
"CALLING ALL PARENTS, FRIENDS, FAMILY N AMERICAN CITIZENS.. this is my 13 yr old nephew being bullied at gunpoint in broad daylight... his mother took this video to the independence, mo. police n they have refused to do anything.. October is bullying prevention month n this is what we get from our "Law enforcement"... protect and serve who exactly.. share this w everyone n every media outlet till we get justice... derrin is a sweet kid with disabilities n did not deserve to be treated this way, threatened or to be dismissed by authorities.. this is a direct threat n violation to his safety n human rights... n something must be done!!!! [sic]
#JusticeForDerrin"
On Tuesday, 17-year-old Alexander Schrader turned himself into authorities. Two other juvenile suspects were brought into custody, but since they are minors, their names were not released.
This is the moment one angry dad decided to teach his daughter's bullies a lesson himself:
[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/2OA7r6Lp-sKUnNGKf.mp4||2OA7r6Lp]]
Bridges thanked the community for their support, saying, "I hope the other kids see this and see that those actions and those behaviors are not OK." Well, she's certainly reached a big audience: The viral video has been viewed over 200,000 times on Facebook, with reposts circulating on social media and national news outlets.
Pictured below is Schrader handing himself into authorities.
The video shows how frightening bullying has gotten, and hopefully the 13-year-old will recover from this traumatic experience. Also, what is are those teenagers doing with a gun? It's clear from their reckless actions that they have no business handling a gun. Had the firearm discharged, this disturbing incident could have become the latest national tragedy.
Published 15:23 11 Jul 2025 GMT
A seven-year-old boy had to take the stand to answer heartbreaking questions after he watched his mother murder his sister.
On August 8, 2007, seven-year-old Adrianna Elaine Hutto was found unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool in rural Esto, Florida, near the Alabama border, per CourtTV.
Her mother, Amanda Lewis, told authorities she had discovered Adrianna face-down in the water after the little girl tried to clean bugs from the pool’s surface. Adrianna was rushed to a nearby hospital but tragically died an hour later.
Initially, investigators ruled Adrianna’s death as an accidental drowning. But the case took a shocking turn when her older brother, AJ Hutto, came forward with a different version of events that would change everything.
AJ, who was just seven at the time, told police in a video-recorded interview: “Mama dunked my sister. She done some stuff that she ain't suppose so my mama got mad, so she throwed her in the pool.”
The statement led prosecutors to charge Amanda Lewis with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse, and in February 2008, AJ took the stand to testify against his mother in court.
Wearing a collared shirt and vest, AJ struggled through emotional testimony, at one point breaking into tears while explaining to the court what he had seen.
The prosecution began by asking AJ simple questions about his age and school before moving to the heart of the matter, per Yahoo!
“I told them today, that Adrianna was dead. Is she dead?” the lawyer asked. AJ nodded but was urged to respond verbally, answering: “Yes, sir.”
The lawyer pressed on, saying: “They want to know how Adrianna died, now I wasn't there AJ was I?”
AJ responded: “No, sir,” before confirming that he was there when his sister died.
“Can you tell them how she died?” the lawyer asked.
AJ told the court that his “momma killed his sister” and even drew a stick-figure illustration showing a person pushing another’s head underwater.
“That's my mama,” he said, “killing my sister.” AJ added that his mother was “putting her hand over her face.”
The testimony proved decisive. Amanda Lewis was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, with an additional 30 years for child abuse, per the Daily Record.
Following the trial, AJ was adopted by another family and given a new name and identity for protection.
Now, at 24, AJ has spoken publicly for the first time since the trial, reaffirming that he told the truth all those years ago.
Speaking to MailOnline under the condition that his current identity remains private, AJ rejected claims that he had been manipulated by prosecutors or other adults during the investigation.
“I don't believe I was, what they've called, coached or anything like that,” he said. “I just told them exactly what I saw, word for word.”
AJ described the experience of testifying against his mother as “heartbreaking,” explaining: “She's my mother. But there was also some relief that what we were going through at the time was finally coming to an end.”
While Amanda Lewis has continued to maintain her innocence, telling Piers Morgan in 2016 that she wanted to prove “what he said I didn’t do,” AJ has made it clear he stands by his testimony.
He explained that he has had no contact with his mother since her conviction, saying: “It’s court-appointed that we cannot see each other, and I've wanted to keep it that way, just so nothing’s getting brought back up… all the feelings, emotions, and traumas coming back into light.”
AJ also reflected on the abuse he and Adrianna experienced growing up, revealing, “For the most part, I remember the abuse. Sometimes we wouldn't even see it coming. It was literally sometimes we were blindsided.”
Today, AJ describes his adoptive family as a “happier” place, acknowledging that while the tragedy changed his life forever, he is certain he did the right thing by speaking up.
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