Cops: Teen Nearly Died of Booze at Teacher's House

A teacher in New Jersey might not be a teacher much longer after a teen got so drunk at her house he nearly died, reports NJ.com. Tracey Harding, 50, has been suspended from her first-grade teaching job in Edison and charged with child endangerment. It seems that one of her own teenage children had some friends over Friday night, and one 15-year-old boy in particular passed out from a combination of beer, vodka, and other alcohol. "As a parent or a guardian, you have a responsibility with underage drinking, and you face penalties if you allow it to go on in your home," says the South Brunswick police chief.

When the boy's mother tried to call her son about 11pm and was told he was "sleeping," she headed over to the Harding home herself. In the meantime, police say Harding tried unsuccessfully to rouse the boy. He ended up at the hospital for "several hours" before being released, and medical officials say his blood-alcohol level was so high he might have died had his mother not intervened, reports MyCentralNewJersey. (More teen drinking stories.)