Woodbridge Man Charged With The Hammer Attack Of Stepfather
Sunday, December 8, 2024, 2:40 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
WOODBRIDGE, NJ.- A Saturday night family argument in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, turns violent, leaving a 48-year-old man hospitalized and his 22-year-old stepson subsequently charged with the near beating death of his stepfather.
According to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, shortly before 6:45 p.m., members of the Woodbridge Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unconscious man, who had suffered multiple blunt force head injuries at a Sherry Street residence in the Township.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a 48-year-old Woodbridge Township man who had sustained severe injuries to his head. The man was immediately transported to Robert Wood Johnson Unversity Hospital, where he remains and is listed in critical condition.
The initial investigation by Detective Perry Penna of the Woodbridge Township Police Department and Detective Javier Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office quickly determined that following an argument, the man’s stepson, Ronald Javier Polanco-Barrera, 22, of Woodbridge Township, picked up a hammer and struck his stepfather multiple times in the head.
Accordingly, Polanco-Barrera was taken into custody without incident and formally charged with first-degree Attempted Murder; second-degree Aggravated Assault; third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and fourth-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. The current custody status of Polanco-Barrera was not reported by authorities.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective Penna of the Woodbridge Township Police Department at (732) 634-7700 or Detective Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-8843.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusation, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
