Police in New Jersey arrested a 29-year-old woman Tuesday for allegedly trying to enroll at a high school with a fake birth certificate.
Hyejeong Shin is charged with providing a false government document to the New Brunswick Board of Education, according to a news release by the New Brunswick Police Department.
A 29-year-old New Jersey woman fraudulently posed as a high school student for several days after allegedly providing a phony birth certificate, authorities say. https://t.co/KmYiDaBj7I
— ABC News (@ABC) January 26, 2023
New Jersey requires schools to “immediately enroll all unaccompanied children, even in the absence of records normally required for enrollment,” the news release said. “Proof of guardianship is not necessary to immediately enroll as an unaccompanied child or youth.”
Shin allegedly attended New Brunswick High School for four days before officials discovered the documents were fake, according to ABC News. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Broke Into High School, Lived There For 2 Days, Stole Plow Truck Then Tried To Rob Department Store)
State law allows students to attend school for 30 days while the district confirms their identity before the student is not able to attend classes, ABC News reported.
“Some of the girls I know, the girl did ask them to hang out at Commercial Avenue, but they never showed up, and she started acting weird with them,” one unidentified student said, according to CBS News. “It’s scary because you never know what could happen.”
“We have told our students to refrain from having any further contact with her either remotely or in person,” New Brunswick Public Schools Superintendent Aubrey Johnson said, reported ABC News.
“The wellbeing of our students, staff, and community are of utmost importance to us, and we will continue working with the police department and our other partners in addressing this matter,” New Brunswick Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Aubrey Johnson said in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller.