Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo reported two Bancroft employees have been arrested for assaulting two teenagers with special needs at the school in Haddonfield.
Nastassia Hines, 28, of Burlington City, and Mondja Djamba, 28, of Clementon, are both charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Djamba is also charged with two counts of kidnapping as well as an additional count of endangering the welfare of a child.
The incidents occurred in the early morning hours of December 8 at the Bancroft Haddonfield Campus. A Bancroft nurse discovered the injuries to one of the victims and immediately notified authorities.
Surveillance video discovered by investigators shows a 14-year-old boy with special needs being hit with a belt by Hines and Djamba. The footage shows Djamba forcing and restraining the boy under a desk for an extended period of time.
The video later shows Djamba forcing and restraining a different student, a 19-year-old male with special needs, under a desk for an extended period of time.
Hines and Djamba were taken into custody yesterday. Both are being held at the Camden County Jail. Bail was set at $325,000 for Hines and $350,000 of Djamba.
The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit is continuing an investigation to determine whether additional crimes have occurred or other children were victimized.
Bancroft has been fully cooperative during this ongoing investigation.