Family sues over ‘Fight Club’ at New Jersey preschool

CRANFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A Cranford, New Jersey couple is suing a local pre-school where children were allegedly forced to take part in a fight club.

As WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell reported, the parents of the then-4-year-old boy said the incident changed their son.

“He’s become a very violent kid,” said attorney Jamison Mark.

Mark said the last two years have been a struggle.

“Through therapy and counseling, he’s been able to subdue a little of it, but there’s issues still,” Mark said.

Erica Kenny, 22, and Chanese White, 28 — former employees of the Lightbridge Academy in Cranford – pleaded guilty to child abuse charges last summer.

Preschoolers told their parents the teachers forced them to fight each other.

Kenny allegedly took video and shared it with friends on Snapchat, prosecutors said. Kenny can be heard referring to the movie “Fight Club” as the kids hit each other, prosecutors said.

“Essentially the day care workers are encouraging it and videotaping it,” Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said in 2015.

The videos from Aug. 13, 2015, show about a dozen boys and girls shoving each other to the ground and trying to hit each other, according to prosecutors.

The lawsuit does not cite a specific dollar amount.

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