Two New Jersey school janitors are under investigation for allegedly using yellow caution tape to tie up four young boys in a bathroom.
Sources within the Long Branch school system indicate the employees thought they were "horsing around" with the Gregory Elementary School students during the incident last Thursday.
All of the children involved are younger than 10 years old.
"Regardless of their intent, it was a stupid decision they made," said Long Branch Superintendent Michael Salvatore, who reported the incident to police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor.
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The boys, from two different classrooms, went to use the restroom and found the workers there, according to Salvatore. Procedure calls for a facility to be put closed whenever work is being done inside, he added.
Salvatore said it was his understanding that yellow caution tape may have been used on the boys. He added that he was not told they appeared distressed.
Nonetheless, he said they did report the incident to the school's principal, who then contacted the central office.
According to Salvatore, investigators with the prosecutor's office are now handling the incident. He said he knew of no charges being filed at this time.
The two maintenance employees, apparently including a plumber, had been sent to the school to make some repairs in the bathroom.
Both workers were sent home early and have since been suspended from their jobs.
One source who talked with the employees told NBC New York that the workers are "devastated" by how this turned out and that at no point was it intended as anything more than just having fun.
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