The juveniles face third-degree assault and endangering charges for allegedly injuring a classmate in a prank they saw on the social media app Tiktok.
By Matt Skoufalos | March 2, 2020
Camden County Prosecutor’s Office logo. Credit: CCPO.
A Cherry Hill teen who suffered a serious head injury when two classmates pulled a viral prank on him is recovering steadily, his family said.
Meanwhile, the two teens who executed the prank, known as “the Skull Breaker challenge” or “rompcraneos” in Venezuela, where it is believed to have originated, will be formally charged for their behavior.
The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the middle-schoolers, whose identities will not be released due to their juvenile status, have been charged with third-degree aggravated assault and third-degree endangering an injured victim.
If convicted, sentences for such crimes can include a variety of penalties, from community service and fines to probation, treatment programs, or even juvenile detention.
The seventh-graders are accused of having tricked the victim into jumping into the air, and then cutting his legs out from underneath him such that he hit his head on the ground. As a result, the boy suffered a concussion accompanied by a loss of consciousness, said his mother, Stacy Shenker.
Shenker said the boy is progressing “really well,” having entered physical therapy with the goal of returning to playing sports.
“He’s progressing as expected and doing really well,” she said. “We’re still working on a baseball tryout once he’s cleared. We’re taking it one day at a time.”
Marc and Stacy Shenker. Credit: Stacy Shenker.
The family anticipates he will undergo medical imaging to establish baseline neurological readings in case future issues manifest.
Shenker said she hopes that no other family will have to suffer from the viral prank, which already has spread internationally.
By telling her son’s story, word has been spread among families that may not otherwise have known about the Tiktok “challenge.”
“Just reaching out to people and making them aware has made a huge difference,” Shenker said.
“The point was to get the word out and it’s getting out. That’s what we were trying to do, and I think the message is getting out there.”
