POINT PLEASANT — A Point Pleasant man has been indicted on charges of attempted murder, among other charges, for an incident that occurred in the borough in August 2022.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 27, Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, of Point Pleasant, was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on charges of attempted murder, strangulation, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, all in connection with an incident that occurred in Point Pleasant on Aug. 22, 2022.
Officers from the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department responded to a residence for a report of an unconscious female on Aug. 22, 2022.
Responding officers found the unconscious female victim with serious injuries to her head and neck area. The victim was thereafter transported to Hackensack Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township. Due to the nature and extent of her injuries, the victim was transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was treated and eventually released.
An investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Point Pleasant Borough Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that the victim had been assaulted by Santiago-Rojas on that date.
Santiago-Rojas was initially charged with aggravated assault on Aug. 23, 2022, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. A fugitive from justice, Santiago-Rojas’ name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database.
Sixteen months later, on Dec. 8, 2023, Santiago-Rojas was taken into custody by law enforcement authorities in Wilmington, North Carolina.
On Jan. 12, 2024, Santiago-Rojas was extradited to New Jersey, and has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since that date.
According to the press release, further investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit indicated that Santiago-Rojas assaulted the victim and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness on Aug. 22, 2022. As a consequence, Santiago-Rojas was additionally charged with attempted murder on Jan. 22, 2024. Santiago-Rojas was served with the new charge by way of complaint-warrant at the Ocean County Jail.
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