A Passaic man is currently facing charges for aggravated assault after allegedly attacking two elderly individuals who were traveling in a nearby vehicle in Garfield, New Jersey.
38-year-old Robert DeJesus is accused of punching a 75-year-old man in the face numerous times as well as assaulting his 64-year-old companion. The male victim was subsequently hospitalized. According to Garfield Police Captain Darren Sucorowski, DeJesus was driving a green Acura coupe at approximately 10 a.m. on December 11th, in Garfield, when he cut off an elderly couple driving in a nearby car, gesturing obscenely at them.
Upon arriving at the stop light located at the intersection of Monroe Street and River Drive, with the cars positioned next to one another, DeJesus allegedly left his own car in order to attack the male victim. After dragging the man from his own vehicle, DeJesus reportedly struck him until he fell to the ground. When the victim’s female companion attempted to stop DeJesus, he allegedly threw her against one of the cars. DeJesus then took off in the Acura.
According to police reports, there were multiple witnesses to these offenses. Following an investigation, Garfield Police proceeded to DeJesus’ residence on Pennington Avenue, at which time they arrested him. DeJesus is now being held at the Bergen County Jail, with his bail set at $75,000.
Aggravated Assault in New Jersey is governed under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b, and can be considered a first, second, third, or fourth degree crime, depending on the circumstances of the specific case. As such, penalties for aggravated assault range from a term of incarceration of 18 months to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. The extent to which DeJesus caused or attempted to cause bodily injury to the victims is a critical determinant of the degree of the crime for which he is charged, thus impacting the sentence imposed if he is convicted.
For more information pertaining to this case, access the following article: Passaic man beat up elderly couple in Garfield road rage incident, cops say
