New Jersey
NJ parents charged with infant’s brutal murder — M.E. calls injuries ‘devastating’
A New Jersey couple is finally facing justice for allegedly beating their 3-month-old daughter so severely that the medical examiner compared the force to a “significant” car crash.
Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin M. Gibson, 28, were hit with charges on Wednesday for murdering their daughter, who was not named by Ocean County prosecutors.
The couple was first arrested on May 7, the day after their baby girl was rushed to the hospital.
Santiago and Gibson called 911 at 7:20 p.m. on May 5, seeking help for an unresponsive baby that was reportedly having trouble breathing.
The infant was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered she had brain bleeding as well as seven broken ribs and a fractured wrist.
The little girl died the following morning.
Police interviewed her parents at the hospital, and were told the baby began vomiting and experiencing diarrhea on May 3. Prosecutors said the couple took her to the hospital on May 4, and she was discharged after receiving fluids intravenously.
Santiago told authorities he went to change the baby’s diaper between 6 and 7 p.m. on May 5, and found her body limp at about 7:20 p.m.
The baby’s death was ruled a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head that caused a skull fracture and subdural hematoma.
Santiago told cops he had dropped a glass bottle on the baby’s head, but later changed his story — instead telling authorities that the child slipped from his hands as he was removing her from a bouncer.
The dad claimed the baby hit her head on the bouncer’s metal support or possibly hit her head against the TV stand, according to prosecutors.
The medical examiner, however, told investigators the infant suffered “devastating” injuries, “sustained from substantial force, compared to the level of force experienced by a significant motor vehicle crash,” according to the affidavit.
Gibson and Santiago are being held until trial, which does not have a scheduled start date yet.
New Jersey
N.J. group demands review of Trenton immigration arrest operation at auto shop
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer, said in a statement on Facebook that she has been briefed about the incident and her office is monitoring the situation.
Pazmino said her organization is calling on members of the community to come together.
“Brown and Black immigrant communities and nonimmigrant communities are welcome, and should be uniting against this force,” she said.
She is also calling on local officials to assist relatives of those taken into custody.
“We need to support families affected by these kidnappings, with mutual aid, donations and anything else you think will help each other,” Pazmino said.
A woman identified as Andrea, while holding her 1-year-old daughter, Genesis, tearfully spoke in Spanish about the anguish she feels and her fears about the future without her husband Christian, one of the men taken into custody. A friend, who translated her word into English, said Christian was a good and honest man.
“If he used to see a neighbor carrying something heavy, he would run to help them. If a friend needed a favor, he didn’t ask, he just did it,” she said.
She said “his daughter was his whole world. He would wake up to her and give her kisses every morning. He would play with her after a long day at work. He loved us and protected us. He didn’t do anything wrong, so why was he taken?”
The Rev. Erich Kussman, St. Bartholomew’s pastor, said the entire Lutheran Church stands with the family.
“Anything you need, you can come to us. I want you to know that. I will stand with you, and we will do what we can to protect you, because that’s the call of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
“Standing with ICE is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ, hands down,” he added. “Fifty-one times the scriptures tell us to welcome the immigrant and foreigner as one of our own. If you’re not living true to that gospel, the words of Christ himself, you are not a Christian, no matter what you claim to be.”
With immigration enforcement activity on the rise in New Jersey, lawmakers have proposed several bills to expand protections for immigrant communities. One measure called the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act” would allow individuals to file a lawsuit against ICE agents who violate their constitutional rights.
Another proposed bill would require any business that operates a private prison or detention facility in the state to pay a tax equal to 50% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts derived from the operation of the facility during the previous year. The bill also stipulates all revenues generated would go to an “immigration protection fund.”
Recently proposed legislation would prohibit ICE agents from ever holding a public job in the Garden State, and New Jersey U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim are proposing legislation to prevent new funding for the Department of Homeland Security from being used to purchase a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey.
Requests for comment from ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service were not immediately returned.
New Jersey
Spring’s coming; Sunny, warm Saturday and significant warm-up ahead NJ
A brief respite from cold weather is ahead of New Jersey this weekend, before temperatures continue to rise late next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Saturday, Feb. 28 will be sunny across the Garden State, and temperatures will be comfortable, reaching the high 40s and low 50s.
Then, a brief artic cold front is expected to move into the region late on Saturday night, bringing temps to low 30’s and some scattered snow showers on Sunday, especially in North Jersey.
During the week, a couple low pressure systems are in the NWS forecast. Little snow if any is expected from these systems, especially in the late week, when a significant warm-up is expected.
Asbury Park and Monmouth County weekend weather forecast
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.
Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
Sunday: Partly sunny and a chance of snow before 1 p.m. The high should be near 39. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Wildwoods and Atlantic County weather forecast
Saturday: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 56.
Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Sunday: Partly sunny and a slight chance of rain before 1 p.m. The high should be near 44. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Newark and Essex County weather forecast
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Saturday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 32.
Sunday: Cloudy and scattered snow showers before 1 p.m. Then gradual clearing of skies, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 17.
Juan Carlos Castillo is a New Jersey-based trending reporter for the USA Today Network. Find him on Twitter at _JCCastillo.
New Jersey
Winning numbers drawn in Thursday’s New Jersey Pick 6 Double Play
The winning numbers in Thursday’s drawing of the “New Jersey Pick 6 Double Play” game were:
8, 23, 29, 34, 43, 45
(eight, twenty-three, twenty-nine, thirty-four, forty-three, forty-five)
For more lottery results, go to Jackpot.com | Order Lottery Tickets
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