Easter bunny involved in brawl at New Jersey mall

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Easter bunny has scuffled in a mall brawl.

A mall Easter bunny and a father got into a tussle Sunday after the man's child slipped from a chair while getting her photo taken, Jersey City police said Monday.

A video posted on Twitter on Sunday evening shows a chaotic scene at the Newport Centre in Jersey City, New Jersey, near an area set up to take photos with the Easter bunny.

Juan Jimenez-Guerrero, 44, verbally and physically attacked Kassim Charles, 22, who was playing the role of the Easter bunny, after Jimenez-Guerrero's year-old daughter slipped, said city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill. She said both men were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Both men were charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, and each also had outstanding warrants. It wasn't known Monday night if either man had retained an attorney.

The video shows Charles wearing the body portion of the bunny costume fighting and then being separated by security. A few seconds later, Charles appeared again, throws off his white bunny gloves and exchanges more punches.

"The safety of guests and cast members is of utmost importance," said Charles Russell, a spokesman for the Noerr Programs, which runs the Easter bunny photo program. "We will continue to investigate this incident and take appropriate action."

Russell said other employees have been assigned to fill the role of Bunny.