Bergen County Teacher Lost License After Alleged Hammer Attack: State

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ —A man's teaching certificate was revoked last month because he committed violent acts in Bergen County a year ago, according to the June 2024 Order of Revocation from the state.

According to the order, the State Board of Examiners voted on May 23, 2024 to revoke the Teacher of Biological Science Certificate of Eligibility for Christopher R. Icochea because he had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in June 2023. The order became final on June 27, 2024.

The order from the state board says, "It is alleged that Icochea purposely backed his vehicle into another vehicle, drove forward to hit a separate vehicle, and used a hammer to hit an individual on the head. On June 13, 2023, Icochea pled guilty to Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon (3rd degree)."

Two weeks after the June 2023 plea, Icochea "was sentenced to three years of non-custodial probation, jail time credit of 10 days, substance abuse and psychological evaluation, and an order of no contact with the victims," says the examiners' report. As a result of the conviction, he's disqualified from employment at a public school, the report says.

Icochea was given several chances to dispute the forthcoming revocation, but he did not, the order says.

An article in NJ.com about the revocation gives some additional information, noting, "Court records from Superior Court in Bergen County showed the attack happened on April 22, 2023. They also revealed that Icochea was ordered in family court to have no contact with three victims and that he was barred from a home in Bergenfield. Icochea was ordered for transport on May 6, 2024 from Bergen County Jail to a facility that serves people struggling with addiction or mental health issues."

Published reports say he had taught in Tenafly until 2021. A RateMyTeacher site says he taught at Tenafly High School. Read more of the NJ.com story here.