By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Ocean County announced that on October 3, Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, of Point Pleasant Borough, was sentenced by the Honorable Dina M. Vicari, J.S.C., to ten years in New Jersey State Prison relative to his previously entered guilty plea to Attempted Murder in connection with an incident that occurred in Point Pleasant Borough on August 22, 2022. 
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that the sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning Santiago-Rojas will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.
Santiago-Rojas pled guilty to the charge before Judge Vicari on August 18, OCPO officials say.
According to Ocean County officials, on August 22, 2022, officers from the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department responded to a residence on Butler Avenue for a report of an unconscious female.
Responding Officers found the unconscious female victim with serious injuries to her head and neck area, OCPO officials stated.
Ocean County authorities said the victim was there after being 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.
OCPO officials said that 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 Santiago-Rojas had assaulted the victim on August 22, 2022.
Santiago-Rojas was initially charged with Aggravated Assault on August 23, 2022, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to Ocean County officials. A fugitive from justice, Santiago-Rojas’ name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database.
Ocean County officials said that on December 8, 2023, Santiago-Rojas was taken into custody by law enforcement authorities in Wilmington, North Carolina. On January 12, 2024, Santiago-Rojas was extradited to New Jersey and lodged in the Ocean County Jail, where he has been detained since that date.
Further investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit revealed that Santiago-Rojas assaulted the victim and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness on August 22, 2022, OCPO officials say.
As a result, Ocean County officials stated that Santiago-Rojas was charged with Attempted Murder on January 22, 2024. Santiago-Rojas was served with the new charge by way of complaint-warrant at the Ocean County Jail.