By: Tracie Carter
A Manchester man has admitted in court that he intended to kill his mother during a violent assault inside her home last summer, authorities said.
Joseph Cavallaro, 45, of Manchester, pled guilty on January 30, 2026, to Attempted Murder in connection with a June 27, 2025 incident in Manchester Township.
The plea was entered before the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P. At sentencing scheduled for March 26, 2026, the State is expected to seek a ten-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, officers from the Manchester Township Police Department responded at approximately 12:15 p.m. on June 27, 2025, to the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Community after receiving a report of a woman in distress inside a mobile home.
When officers entered the residence, they located a 71-year-old woman suffering from significant injuries to her face and body.
The victim was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was treated and later released.
A joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Manchester Township Police Department Detective Bureau determined that the victim was Cavallaro’s mother. Investigators said an argument between the two escalated into a physical assault.
Authorities said the victim lost consciousness and suffered a concussion, fractured ribs, a fractured skull, and multiple facial fractures.
Cavallaro was taken into custody later that day without incident and has remained detained at the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
During his guilty plea, Cavallaro admitted in court that his purpose in assaulting the victim was to cause her death.