Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of Aaron Medrano, 27, of North Arlington, on charges of murder, aggravated assault and child endangerment, and Patricia Artese, 25, of North Arlington, on a charge of child endangerment.
According to Prosecutor Musella, on Thursday, December 23, 2021, at approximately 6:26 p.m., the North Arlington Police Department received a 9-1-1 call from a resident of 505 Schuyler Avenue in North Arlington.
Prosecutor Musella stated that the caller reported that their two-month-old daughter was not breathing. The child was subsequently transported to Hackensack University Medical Center.
According to Prosecutor Musella, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit was contacted by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency regarding numerous injuries which were discovered on the child by medical personnel at HUMC.
An investigation by detectives from the North Arlington Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that Medrano caused the injuries to the child.
According to Prosecutor Musella, on Thursday, December 30, 2021, Medrano was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail and released.
Prosecutor Musella stated that Artese was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and was released on a summons pending her first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
According to Prosecutor Musella, the child died from her injuries on Tuesday, January 5. On Tuesday, January 11, Medrano was arrested and charged with murder.
He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the North Arlington Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.