Fort Lee NJ Man Accused of Hitting Boy, Charged with Aggravated Assault
Aggravated Assault Charge Fort Lee NJ
Police recently arrested a Fort Lee NJ man who allegedly assaulted a young boy.
According to Bergen County prosecutors, the 48-year-old suspect held the victim down and beat him.
Fort Lee police received a 911 call from the suspect’s apartment on Linwood Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey. When the call abruptly ended, police officers were immediately dispatched to the residence.
Fort Lee NJ police found the victim with various injuries, including bruises on his face and neck areas.
Police officers with the Fort Lee Police Department and members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit spoke with the victim, who told them that the suspect threw him to the floor and repeatedly hit him.
Officials have not released any additional information about the victim in the case.
The suspect was placed under arrest and charged with aggravated assault and child endangerment.
If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the most serious charges of aggravated assault, he faces severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1, anyone who uses violence to cause bodily harm to another person can be charged with aggravated assault. Depending on the circumstances of the offense and the severity of the injuries, the crime can be classified as a second degree felony, third degree felony, or fourth degree felony.
On a 2nd degree charge, the defendant is facing 5-10 years in prison. In addition, because it is a violent offense, the offender must serve 85% of his prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act. On a third degree aggravated assault charge, the defendant is facing 3-5 years in prison. And on a fourth degree aggravated assault charge, the defendant is facing a maximum of 18 months in prison.
In addition to that, the defendant is facing another felony charge for endangering the welfare of a child. Depending on his prior criminal history, he could be facing a lengthy prison sentence for these charges. If he has no prior record, he can apply for admission into the Pre-Trial Intervention program (known as “PTI”) for first time offenders. This is a probationary program that allows the charges to be dismissed if the defendant successfully completes probation. However, these are serious charges and violent charges so the prosecutor might object to allowing him into PTI.
After being arrested and charged in this case, the suspect was taken to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack NJ. He was being held at the jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Aggravated Assault, Child Endangerment Charges in Fort Lee NJ
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Fort Lee Man Repeatedly Hit Boy, Authorities Say.”