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Residents urge more school and street security after youth stabbed; council pledges coordination
Summary
Family members described a youth stabbing and delayed police response at a March 24 council meeting; the council expressed sympathy, said an investigation is ongoing and pledged to coordinate with police and school officials to prevent spillover into the streets.
Family members and residents told the Hackensack City Council on March 24 that a youth had been stabbed and that police response arrived about 30 minutes after the incident, prompting calls for increased school and street security.
At the podium, Luz Diaz said of the victim, “He’s in surgery right now,” and described repeated prior incidents and slow responses when she and her family reported problems to school and police. Another resident, Rudy Jimenez, and a speaker identifying as Victor urged stronger school security and greater community involvement in planning Juneteenth and other events.
Mayor Kasim Gaines offered condolences and described the incident as a tragedy that “should not have happened anywhere,” adding that the investigation is ongoing and that the city will pursue communication between the manager, police and the school superintendent to reduce spillover from school incidents into the streets. “We can do certainly pray for you and your family,” Gaines said, and pledged the city would work with first responders and school leadership to try to prevent similar events.
Council members said they regretted the incident and asked staff to coordinate follow-up steps. The mayor emphasized that some parts of the inquiry lie outside municipal jurisdiction but said the city can still take internal steps to improve safety and interagency communication.
Provenance: public-comment exchanges and council responses during the March 24 meeting.
