Crime & Safety

Track Coach In Bergen County Assaulted Child, Police Say

A track coach working in Bergen County was charged with simple assault and neglect for an incident involving a child, police said.

WASHINGTON, NJ — A track coach in Bergen County has been charged with simple assault for an incident involving a child, police say.

The police in Washington Township said that on May 15, before 9 p.m., police got a report that a juvenile was “hurt” by their coach, Ruben Baerga of the private New Jersey Striders.

"After a thorough and complete investigation which included video evidence," police said, Baerga, a 62-year-old resident of Westwood, was arrested.

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He was charged with simple assault, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth degree cruelty neglect of a child, police said.

He was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await his court date, police said.

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They noted that he works for a private company and is not affiliated with the public schools.

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