Montessori School Teacher’s Aide Charged With Assaulting Toddler

Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 12:45 P.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

WAYNE, NJ.- Following an investigation into allegations of abuse of a toddler on Monday, November 12, 2024, Detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit formally charged Meghan Hornidge, 19, of River Edge, New Jersey, with one count of fourth-degree Abuse of a Child; and a Disorderly Persons Offense of Simple Assault.

     According to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, on August 13, 2024, the Prosecutor’s Office received a report that Ms. Hornidge, while employed as a teacher’s aide at the Apple Montessori School in Wayne, New Jersey, allegedly assaulted a two-year-old child.

     During a months-long investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Detectives determined that on August 12, 2024, Hornidge slammed and dragged a two-year-old child, causing the child to sustain bodily injury. On Monday, Hornidge was taken into custody, processed on the charges, and released on a complaint summons pending future court proceedings in Passaic County Superior Court in Paterson, New Jersey.

     If convicted at trial, Hornidge faces up to eighteen months in New Jersey State Prison.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”