Two New Jersey teens who tossed a live chicken into their high school building as a class prank now face criminal charges and may not be able to attend graduation or prom, one of the students tells NBC New York.
Anthony Cesareo, who turned 18 today, and his 17-year-old friend Tyler Bruno also learned this week they would be suspended for five days in connection with the Feb. 25 bird-tossing incident.
Cesareo says he and his pal bought a live chicken from a store in Newark and threw it into an open window of their school at about 10 p.m. that night.
"They weren't supposed to sell us the chicken but they did," Cesareo said of the store on 15th Avenue. He wasn't sure of the name of the business. "We didn't get into the school; we just threw the chicken through the window because it was open."
The next day, Cesareo says three live chickens were discovered in the school.
The senior, who may have to pay a fine or do community service in connection with the charges, says another group of students who knew about their prank released two more live chickens into the school a few hours after Cesareo and Bruno had been there.
Janitors trapped two of the chickens but couldn't find the third one. The bird ended up appearing in the classroom where sexual education classes are taught, Cesareo says.
"The teacher thought it was funny. The students thought it was funny," he said. "Everyone got a good laugh out of it except for the principal."
The school's principal did not return a call from NBC New York seeking comment.
Cesareo says the principal called police, and he and Bruno confessed to cops because the authorities "said that if we confessed it'd be easy on us."
They were charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.
The teenage duo was surprised by the charges, but accepted them. They didn't expect that nearly a month later, the school would take action, too.
"Now they're saying we can't go to prom, project graduation, senior activities or graduation ceremony. That's pretty harsh because it was a month ago," said Cesareo, who added both his parents and Bruno's parents are disappointed their sons may not be able to participate in senior activities.
Still, Cesareo hopes school officials will change their minds.
"C'mon it was just a chicken," he said.
This isn't the first time New Jersey seniors have faced charges for releasing live animals into their school.
Last June, seven students at Morris Knolls High School were charged with numerous offenses, including burglary and criminal mischief, after they were caught placing chickens, along with rats, mice, roosters and rabbits inside school ceilings.
