Jersey Sikh teen's turban set on fire

HIGHTSTOWN, N.J., May 13 (UPI) -- A New Jersey high school student was arrested after he allegedly set a Sikh student's turban on fire during a fire drill.

Garret Green, 18, was charged with criminal mischief and arson last week after the incident at Hightstown High School, The Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark, N.J., reported Tuesday.

Green allegedly approached the 16-year-old victim from behind and set his cloth turban on fire, singing the boy's hair.

The incident angered the boy's parents and representatives of New Jersey's large Sikh community.

"The fact that something like this could have happened is beyond comprehension, especially in this day and age," the victim's mother told the Star-Ledger.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International