ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE – Newfield Borough
ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE- Newfield Borough
Press Release from Franklin Twp Police Department
On Sunday, July 28th at around 6 p.m., patrol officers from the Franklin Township Police Department were dispatched to 2 Catawba Avenue, Newfield for a report of a male subject striking another male subject with a baseball bat. Officers arrived on the scene and viewed a trail of blood leading into an upstairs apartment. Officers gained entry and found the victim, Juan Hernandez, age 41 of Newfield, unconscious and unresponsive. Hernandez was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden where he is listed in critical condition with life threatening injuries to his head. The suspect in the case identified as Antelmo Refugio Dominguez, age 61 of Newfield remained on the scene and was taken into custody by police.
Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department and Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office arrived on the scene and later determined that the incident may have occurred due to an ongoing dispute regarding a family member of Dominguez’. Hernandez was allegedly struck by Dominguez while exiting his apartment after hearing a knock on his downstairs door. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Dominguez’ apartment and located a bloody baseball bat and wooden club that was also used during the assault.
Dominguez was arrested and charged with the following offenses: Attempted Homicide First Degree; Aggravated Assault with a weapon Second Degree; Possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose – two counts third degree. Dominguez was lodged in the Salem County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Assisting at the scene was the Gloucester county Prosecutors Office, Gloucester County EMS, Inspira Paramedics and the Newfield Fire Department. The case is being investigated by Detective Joseph Biener of the Franklin Township Police Department and Detective Keith Palek of the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office. At the time of this press release Hernandez was just getting out of surgery and remains at Cooper University Hospital.