NEW JERSEY, USA — A 29-year-old woman has been arrested after being accused of using false documents to pose as a student at a New Jersey high school.
For four days, Hyejeong Shin went to classes at New Brunswick High School, according to News12 New Jersey. The New Brunswick Police Department said Shin provided a fake birth certificate to New Brunswick Public Schools with the intention of enrolling "as a juvenile high-school student." Police have not said why she enrolled in the school.
"To know that a person with that intention was that close to me is even scarier," said Rihanna Colon, who attended class with Shin.
New Brunswick Public Schools staff members discovered the deception while completing the established vetting protocols and “promptly barred her from entering any district property,” according to a statement.
The superintendent called the incident bothersome and promised to take a closer look at New Brunswick's enrollment process, but that's not enough for parents and students who are asking how she was able to enroll as a student in the first place.
"Our children are in schools and we send them there hoping and praying that they are safe - and they're obviously not," Yaritza Arroyo said.
Shin is charged with providing a false government document. She is expected to appear in Middlesex County Superior Court for a hearing on Feb. 16, according to court spokeswoman Meghan Carney-Vilela.