Security camera footage from South Orange-Maplewood School District shows parts of the interaction between a principal and student last year that led to criminal charges against the veteran administrator, though none of the camera angles provide a clear view of the full interaction and there is no audio.
The footage from three security cameras show the student and Frank Sanchez, principal of Columbia High School, in physical contact on March 9, 2023, according to video viewed by NJ Advance Media.
More than a year later, Sanchez was charged by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office on March 11 with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault.
The criminal complaint cited a report from school officials citing the video depicting Sanchez with his hand on the girl’s arm as he pulled her toward a staircase, authorities said. The girl then pulled away and Sanchez then grabbed her again in an exchange that continued for about 30 seconds, according to the complaint.
Shortly thereafter, the video footage showed the pair falling through a door, with Sanchez holding the student up against the wall, according to the complaint.
Sanchez pleaded not guilty during a court appearance last month and his defense attorney contends the security camera footage shows the student willingly walking toward a stairwell with Sanchez as she tried to push past him so she could confront other students in the cafeteria downstairs.
“There was no crime here,” said John McMahon, Sanchez’s attorney told NJ Advance Media.
Video from the hallway outside the stairwell shows the student and Sanchez walking side-by-side in a quick stride toward the stairwell entrance. It’s not clear whether the principal has a grip on the girl’s arm from the video because the camera is some distance away and Sanchez’s body obscures the view. When the girl steps away from Sanchez, she appears to attempt to enter the stairwell.
Footage from inside the stairwell shows the moment the two push through the double doors. The student appears to be pushing against Sanchez as he attempted to stop the student. Sanchez briefly pushed her against the wall during the struggle, according to the video viewed by NJ Advance Media.
Residents in the South Orange-Maplewood School District remain divided over whether that interaction warrants criminal charges.
The case has gotten national attention, throwing the pre-K-12 district and its roughly 6,700 students into the spotlight.
“I’ve been a criminal defense attorney for over 30 years and I’ve never had a client that generated such an outpouring of support from the community,” said McMahon. “He’s clearly a beloved educator and the important thing here is, no crime occurred.”
McMahon said he’s working to gather evidence that he hopes will encourage the prosecutor’s office to dismiss the criminal charges. His next court date is scheduled for June 14.
McMahon said prior to the incident, the student had a separate confrontation with classmates and was on her way to cafeteria to confront them when the interaction with Sanchez occurred. The New York Times reported the other students had filed bullying complaints against her and that led the girl to be assigned to attend a workshop about empathy and connection in the school gym on March 9, 2023, the day of the interaction with Sanchez.
The Black Parents Workshop, a South Orange-Maplewood advocacy group supporting the student, said this week it would “continue to support the real victim - a young Black girl - and the prosecution of Frank Sanchez, and hold the South Orange-Maplewood School District legally accountable for the harm committed against her.”
The evidence shows “Frank Sanchez physical assaulted our client,” according to a statement from Davis Advocacy Consulting, a law firm representing the student.
“There was no fight and there was no impending fight. There is video and there are several eyewitnesses to the events that eventually led to his arrest,” according to a statement from the law firm headed by attorney James H. Davis III.
The public debate began almost immediately on March 11, when Sanchez surrendered to detectives with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the complaint filed in the case, acting South Orange-Maplewood Superintendent Kevin F. Gilbert reported the incident to the Maplewood Police Department on Dec. 22, 2023, and told them an affirmative action report was generated against the Sanchez in March 2023. As a result, the school district hired an outside investigator to look into the matter.
The investigator determined there was physical contact between Sanchez and the student that included “pushing, shoving or grabbing,” the complaint stated.
The girl later gave a statement to prosecutor’s office detectives and said the interaction left her with bruising, the criminal complaint stated.
The Friends of Frank Sanchez, a community group formed to support the principal, believes Sanchez was wrongly charged. The group started a website urging people to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office to demand a dismissal of the charges against Sanchez. They have distributed “Free Frank” lawns signs and spoken at school board meetings demanding Sanchez’s reinstatement as principal.
Supporters have also organized an online fundraising effort that had raised more than $68,000 for the principal’s legal defense as of Friday morning.
The Black Parents Workshop made a brief statement Friday commenting on the continued support for Sanchez.
“33 days and $60,000 later and Frank Sanchez is still a criminal defendant,” the group said.
Sanchez has been on administrative leave since early January. School district officials have not said why or if his leave is linked to the alleged assault.
Stories by Jackie Roman
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NJ Advance Media staff writer Chris Sheldon contributed to this report.
Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.