Point Pleasant Man Indicted For Nearly Beating & Strangling Woman To Death
Saturday, March 29, 2025, 9:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
POINT PLEASANT, NJ.- On Thursday, March 27, 2025, an Ocean County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, of Point Pleasant Borough, New Jersey, with first-degree Attempted Murder; Strangulation; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in connection with the near-death beating and strangling of a woman that occurred in Point Pleasant Borough in August of 2022.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on August 22, 2022, members of the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unconscious woman inside a Butler Avenue residence in the Borough.
Police Officers Find Woman Unconcious
Upon arrival, Police Officers found the woman with serious injuries to her head and neck. The woman, at the time, was immediately transported to Hackensack Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township, New Jersey. Due to the severe nature of her injuries, the woman was transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey, where she was treated and ultimately released.
During the ensuing investigation conducted by Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, and the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, quickly determined that the woman had been violently assaulted by Santiago-Rojas on August 22, 2022.
Following the investigation, on August 23, 2022, Santiago-Rojas was initially charged with aggravated assault, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On that date, Santiago-Rojas’ name was entered into the National Crime Information Center database.
On December 8, 2023, Santiago-Rojas was located and apprehended by law enforcement authorities in Wilmington, North Carolina. On January 12, 2024, following extradition proceedings, Santiago-Rojas was returned to New Jersey to face the aggravated assault charge and has remained detained in the Ocean County Jail.
Further investigation by Detectives of the Ocean County Special Victims Unit led to an additional charge of attempted murder being filed against Santiago-Rojas. On January 22, 2024, Santiago-Rojas was served with the charge at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, New Jersey.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
