Four (4) of the people involved in last weekend’s well-publicized fight at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford NJ have been charged with assault.
Shortly after the football game between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, a video recording of the fight made the rounds online. The video shows 38-year-old NY Jets fan Kurt Paschke punching 26-year-old Patriots fan Jaclyn Nugent in the face. Mr. Paschke is the son of a former Suffolk County police officer.
NJ State Police have now determined that four (4) people will face charges for the fight. Mr. Paschke and Ms. Nugent were charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Two (2) of Ms. Nugent’s friends, 28-year-old David Sacco and 25-year-old Amanda McDowell, were also charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct.
Mr. Paschke, who previously served almost four (4) years in prison for criminally negligent homicide, is alleging that he acted in self-defense after being attacked by Ms. Nugent and her friends. According to a law enforcement official, the women may have been the aggressors in the fight. Nonetheless, Mr. Paschke faces assault charges.
Simple assault in New Jersey is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1. The statute classifies simple assault as either a disorderly persons offense or a petty disorderly persons offense, depending on the circumstances of the fight. If it is determined that the fight was entered into by mutual consent, it may be classified as a petty disorderly persons offense. If Mr. Paschke is convicted of a disorderly persons offense, he could be sentenced to as many as six (6) months in jail.
The defendants have been issued summonses to appear at a hearing in East Rutherford Municipal Court on November 13.
For more information, check out the NYPost.com article entitled “Gal Punched by Jets Fan Charged with Assault.”
