Point Pleasant Man Pleads Guilty To Nearly Strangling A Woman To Death

Thursday, August 21, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

POINT PLEASANT, NJ.- A 31-year-old man, illegally residing in Ocean County, New Jersey, will be facing 10 years in New Jersey State Prison when sentenced in early October, after admitting to beating and nearly strangling a woman to death back in August of 2022.

     According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Monday, August 18, 2025, Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, who had been illegally residing in Point Pleasant Borough, New Jersey, appeared in Ocean County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari to Attempted Murder. 

Santiago-Rojas Will Face 10 Years In State Prison

     In return for the guilty plea, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Santiago-Rojas be sentenced to a term of 10 years in State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Santiago-Rojas to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole.

Santiago-Rojas Will Face Deportation After Prison

     After entering his guilty plea, Judge Vicari accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for October 3, 2025. Upon completion of his term of imprisonment, Santiago-Rojas will face immediate deportation proceedings and be removed from the United States, according to Federal Immigration authorities.

     Monday’s guilty plea stems from an investigation that began on August 22, 2022, when members of the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unconscious woman inside a residence located on Butler Avenue in the Borough. Upon arrival, Police Officers located a woman, unconscious, and suffering from serious injuries to her head and neck. The woman was transported to Hackensack Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township. Due to the extent of her injuries, she was transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where she was treated and eventually released.

     During the ensuing investigation at that time, Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, the Ocean County Major Crime Unit, the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, determined that Santiago-Rojas assaulted the woman inside the residence on August 22, 2022. On that date, Santiago-Rojas was charged with Aggravated Assault, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Detectives quickly learned that he had fled the area to avoid arrest.

     On December 8, 2023, Santiago-Rojas was taken into custody in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was extradited to New Jersey. Following being returned to New Jersey, Santiago-Rojas was processed on the charge and was lodged in the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained in custody. 

     During further investigation, Detectives determined that Santiago-Rojas, on August 22, 2022, had nearly strangled the woman to death, and as a result of his actions, Santiago-Rojas was additionally charged with first-degree Attempted Murder on January 22, 2024.