The father of a teen girl from New Jersey who committed suicide after a video of her went viral on social media seeks accountability.
Adriana Kuch, a 14-year-old student at Central Regional High School in Berkeley, New Jersey, was found dead in her house on February 3, two days after being beaten up in school, according to authorities. She committed suicide after a video of her being attacked by other high school students became viral on social media.
The video posted on social media on February 1 shows Adriana being hit with a water bottle by numerous female classmates in the hallway of her high school. The 20-second video clip depicts one of the girls screaming at Adriana that she is a “stupid b*tch” who deserves to be beaten up.
They kicked and punched the victim while laughing, watching, and recording her assault on their cell phones.
The teen’s devastated father, Michael Kuch, revealed that his daughter committed suicide due to humiliation and that she had been bullied previously.
The video was the last straw.
Even when Kuch’s daughter lost consciousness during the incident, the school sent her to the nurse’s office instead of calling 911. Later, her father brought her to the police station to file a report and show her injuries.
Three of the girls were charged with third-degree felony assault, and one was charged with disorderly conduct.
The superintendent of the school district informed reporters that calling the police was not school policy, since the decision to seek charges rested with the parents.
Kuch believes the school should have filed a police report immediately following the attack and wants the perpetrators of the crimes that led to his daughter’s death to be held accountable.
Additionally, Kuch stated that the Ocean County School District should be held liable for failing to address many incidences of bullying and harassment in their classrooms. He stated that his daughter had previously been bullied.
Central Regional High School students staged a walkout to voice their dissatisfaction with the school’s response to the bullying incident.