N.J. teacher's aide accused of 'viciously' assaulting 7-year-old with autism is charged

A teacher's aide at a north New Jersey school has been charged after he was accused of assaulting a 7-year-old student with autism.

Corey D. Foushee, who works at Quitman Street Community School in Newark, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday. NJ.com was first to report the news.

The charges stem from disturbing allegations detailed in a notice of claim the child's mother filed against the Newark Board of Education. The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, alleges that on April 13, Foushee "viciously assaulted" the boy, according to NJ.com.

The boy told his mother that Foushee pushed him to the floor, dragged him and then pushed him down the stairs, the newspaper chain reported. The woman took her son to a doctor, who told her to call the police, it reported.

Officers wrote in a police report that the child had bruises on his back, chin and arms and an injury to his tooth, "which was bleeding." The notice of claim says a teacher witnessed the alleged incident.

The mother plans to sue the school board for $2.5 million, NJ.com reported. Her attorney and the police did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

The school board said it "cannot and does not comment on pending litigation or on any matter involving an individual student."

It is not clear whether Foushee has an attorney.