Annika McKenzie and her 14-year-old niece were arrested Wednesday after an attack that left a Long Island middle school teacher briefly unconscious.
McKenzie, 34, allegedly assaulted Catherine Engelhardt, a math teacher at Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School, claiming the teacher had
“put her hands on” McKenzie's 12-year-old daughter, WABC-TV reported.
"As any loving parent, if someone puts their hand on your child, you're going to react," McKenzie’s attorney, Donald Rollock, told the station.
McKenzie allegedly breached security and waited outside Engelhardt’s classroom Wednesday. The teacher reportedly called for security and was shoved against the wall, placed in a headlock and thrown to the floor, where she was kicked and punched by several students, WABC-TV said.
McKenzie and her niece are being charged with second-degree assault, the station said.
"It's not like I thought a parent would do something, but I knew something violent was going to happen," Engelhardt, who was recovering at home after being taken to Winthrop University Hospital, told WABC-TV. "I've warned them time and again that the children have no respect for adults. Yes, I fear for my safety. They can't control the kids."
The incident began after McKenzie suspected the teacher had mistreated a teen who was
misbehaving in the hallway, WPIX-TV reported.
"She's taught in the middle school for over 20 years. She's very passionate and committed about her job," f
ellow middle school teacher Elias Mestizo told the New York Daily News. "I was talking to parents today and all spoke highly of her."
The teacher lost consciousness for several minutes after being put in a chokehold, the Daily News said.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.