29-Year-Old Bronx Man Charged With The April 8, 2024 Beating Of A 77-Year-Old Man In Fort Lee
Thursday, July 11, 2024, 2:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
FORT LEE, NJ.- On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, a 29-year-old Bronx, New York, man was taken into custody in connection with the beating of an elderly man during the evening hours of Monday, April 8, 2024, in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Monday, April 8, 2024, shortly after 7:00 p.m., members of the Fort Lee Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a man being seriously assaulted at the Plaza West Mall on Bergen Boulevard in Fort Lee.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a 77-year-old man suffering from serious injuries and learned that the assailant had fled the scene. The man was immediately transported to Hackensack University Medical Center. The injuries were so severe that the man had to be placed in a medically induced coma for two months.
Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Fort Lee Police Department initiated a joint investigation. During the months-long investigation, Detectives determined that a minor motor vehicle crash had occurred between the elderly man and the suspect. Following a brief verbal altercation, the suspect began punching the 77-year-old man in the face, knocking him unconscious and leaving him helpless on the ground.
Following the investigation, Detectives concluded that the suspect was unknown to the elderly man and that the attack occurred in connection with the car accident and was unprovoked. Detectives were subsequently able to identify the suspect as Efrain Escobar, 29, of the Bronx, New York as the suspect and the individual responsible for the attack.
Following being identified, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, Escobar was charged with second-degree Aggravated Assault; and third-degree Endangering an Injured Person, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office were able to locate Escobar in the Bronx, New York, and with the assistance of the Fort Lee Police Department along with the New York City Police Department and Special Agents of Federal Bureau of Investigations arrested Escobar at his Bronx residence.
Following being taken into custody, Escobar was remanded to Federal Corrections Authorities pending extradition to New Jersey to stand trial on the charges.
“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.”
