This week, a 29-year-old woman was arrested and charged with providing false government documents after posing as a 15-year-old student at a New Jersey high school.
A Woman was charged after she allegedly posed as a 15-year-old student. (PHOTO: Charlie Kratovil)
The New Brunswick Police Department said in a release that Hyejeong Shin, 29, was charged with one count of providing a false government document to verify one’s identity or age after she gave a fake certificate of live birth to the New Brunswick Board of Education.
Shin was kicked off the campus, but she allegedly continued to text some of the students she met there. Officials have asked students to stop communicating with her.
Shin’s reason for lying about her age and enrolling in school is being investigated.
According to NJ.com, Shin is a 2019 graduate of Rutgers University.
Schools are required to enroll unaccompanied minors immediately, even if proper guardianship documentation is not provided. They have 30 days after enrolling to provide further identification documentation.
School officials in New Brunswick say they will review the district’s enrollment process to avoid similar incidents in the future. There are nearly 10,000 students in the district.
According to a Twitter video of the Tuesday evening meeting, Superintendent Dr. Aubrey Johnson mentioned during a board meeting this week that Shin had attended the school for four days but spent most of her time with guidance counselors.
Johnson said in the meeting that all authorities were immediately notified, and the individual in question has been arrested. In addition, all students she met have been told to avoid communicating with her.
