Senior NYC substitute teacher arrested for choking middle school student: cops

An elderly substitute teacher has been arrested for choking a Queens middle school student during class this week, police officers said.

The boy told police he was in his fifth period on Thursday and was going to the trash to throw out an object when 77-year-old Vernon Jerom, the student in the class, suddenly put his hands around the child’s neck and killed him about 5 held for seconds, authorities said.

The boy reported no injuries and was not hospitalized.

Jerom was arrested just after 2 p.m. Thursday and charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and harmful behavior to a child, police said.

“These allegations are very disturbing and this substitute teacher was immediately pulled from the service,” City Department of Education spokesman Nathaniel Styer said in a statement.

The school is located within the boundaries of the 109th Ward, which encompasses Northeast Queens, including Flushing and College Point.