A New Jersey middle school had to recall every yearbook it handed out after a student slipped a baby photo of Adolf Hitler into the section meant to feature pictures of graduating eighth graders.

Story Snapshot

• East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey, recalled all yearbooks after Hitler’s infant photo appeared in the student baby pictures section.
• Principal Ryan Aupperlee sent a letter to families condemning the image as a “severe breach of our values” tied to hatred and antisemitism.
• A bias incident report was filed with Paramus police, and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office was notified to investigate.
• The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office classified the incident as a “bias incident” — not a “bias crime” — a legal distinction that matters for how the case is handled.

Hitler’s Baby Photo Ends Up in Eighth-Grade Yearbook

East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey, distributed yearbooks to its graduating eighth graders in June 2026. The books included a section showing baby photos of students. Tucked inside that section was an infant photo of Adolf Hitler, taken around the time of his birth in 1889. A teacher spotted the image while students were signing each other’s books. School officials immediately collected all distributed copies to stop the photo from staying in circulation.

Principal Ryan Aupperlee sent a formal letter to families on June 25, 2026. He wrote that the image is “a severe breach of our values” and that “Adolf Hitler represents hatred, antisemitism, and the horrors of the Holocaust, including the murder of six million Jews.” He added, “An image of him has no place in a yearbook created for our students.” The school also promised to issue corrected yearbooks to every student, though the already-signed copies presented a logistical challenge.

Police Called In, Investigation Underway

School officials filed a bias incident report with the Paramus Police Department and notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. The principal stated that the administration was working with law enforcement to find out how the photo got into the yearbook and who was responsible. According to NBC New York, the student who submitted the photo has since been identified. However, no disciplinary outcome has been made public as of the time of this report.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the case and classified it as a “bias incident” rather than a “bias crime.” That is an important legal distinction. A bias crime carries criminal charges. A bias incident does not rise to that level. Critics of the administration’s response may point to that classification as a sign that law enforcement sees this differently than the principal’s letter suggested. The investigation into motive — prank versus deliberate act of hate — has not been publicly concluded.

Community Reacts, Questions Remain About Review Process

The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey publicly expressed “horror” over the incident and said society has “lost all sensitivity.” Meanwhile, local teachers and residents largely described it as the act of “one bad apple” that does not reflect the broader community. The Paramus mayor also weighed in, confirming he was made aware of the situation. Most mainstream outlets, including Fox News and the New York Post, framed the incident as a student prank rather than a deliberate hate act.

🇺🇸 An 8th-grade yearbook at East Brook Middle School mistakenly included a baby photo of Adolf Hitler after a student reportedly submitted it instead of their own baby picture.

The principal condemned its inclusion, saying it has “no place” in a yearbook and does not reflect the… pic.twitter.com/xcozEJAplG

— Europa.com (@europa) July 1, 2026

What remains unanswered is how the photo passed through the yearbook review process undetected. Principal Aupperlee suggested the image may not have been “immediately recognizable” to those paging through the book, but no review logs or staff accounts have been released to back that up. The school has not disclosed specific disciplinary steps taken against the student. Parents and community members deserve full transparency — both on how this slipped through and on what consequences followed. A middle school yearbook is a permanent keepsake. Someone made a choice to put that image there, and the full story still isn’t out.

Sources:

twitchy.com, newjersey.news12.com