Officials said Hyejeong Shin, 29, fraudulently enrolled in the high school
An adult woman was accused of posing as a minor and fraudulently enrolling as a student at a New Jersey high school.
Hyejeong Shin, 29, was arrested last week after attending classes at New Brunswick High School for four days before her real age was discovered, officials said at a school board meeting on Tuesday.
The purpose of the alleged deception remains unclear, but students at the school expressed their shock and fear upon learning the truth about their new classmate.
Some of the students even told CBS News they received text messages from the woman asking to meet up, leading them to fear she had ill intentions.
“Some of the girls I know, the girl asked her to hang out on Commercial Avenue, but they never showed up and she started acting weird with them,” said one student. “It’s scary because you never know what might happen.”
Hyejeong Shin, 29, was arrested last week after attending classes at New Brunswick High School for four days before her real age was discovered, officials said
“I was in class with this woman and spoke to her, got her from point A to point B and never expected this to happen,” one student, Tatianna (center), told New Brunswick Today
BREAKING: An adult woman has been arrested after posing as a child and presenting forged documents to enroll at New Brunswick High School last week. @aubjohnson111 announced tonight.
She attended the school for four days and community members are concerned about her motives. pic.twitter.com/BLOwgFeyss
— Charlie Kratovil (@Charlie4Change) January 25, 2023
New Brunswick Public School District Superintendent Aubrey Johnson told a school board meeting that Shin attended multiple classes for four days before the plan was exposed.
“By submitting false documents, an adult woman posing as a student was able to be enrolled in our high school,” Johnson said at the meeting, according to video released by New Brunswick Today.
Shin has been charged in one case with providing a false government document to verify a person’s identity or age after police said they provided a false birth certificate, according to NBC News.
However, much about the case remains unclear, including the date of Shin’s arrest and her current detention status.
Officials said Shin attended classes at New Brunswick High School (above) for four days before her real age was discovered
An official at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center told that Shin was not in custody as of Wednesday night. The New Brunswick Police Department did not immediately respond to phone and email messages.
Superintendent Johnson said that during the four days she was enrolled, the woman spent much of her time with careers advisers trying to learn more about her background and needs.
But he added that she had attended at least three classes and several students spoke about interactions with Shin during her fraudulent enrollment.
“I was in class with this woman and talked to her, got her from point A to point B and never expected this to happen,” one student, Tatianna, told New Brunswick Today.
“Not knowing she’s a 29-year-old woman makes me wonder how safe I am in this building,” the student added, saying she gave Shin her phone number and now feels “taken advantage of.”
New Brunswick Public School District Superintendent Aubrey Johnson (center left) revealed the incident at a school board meeting
Shin reportedly told school officials that she was 15 years old, but aroused suspicions once she became aware of the identities of her legal guardians.
The plan is said to have been unraveled when Shin attempted to sign off for the day but was prevented from doing so as a minor. Frustrated, Shin reportedly revealed that she’s actually 29.
If she had to complete a GED, the adult equivalent of a high school diploma, Shin could have legally enrolled at New Brunswick’s Adult Learning Center, the local news outlet noted.
Shin’s current custody status is unclear, and it wasn’t immediately clear if she had an attorney speaking on her behalf.