Tom’s River On August 18, Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, of Point Pleasant Borough, entered a guilty plea to attempted murder before Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari in relation to an incident that occurred in 2022, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
On August 22, 2022, Santiago-Rojas acknowledged assaulting a woman at a house on Butler Avenue in Point Pleasant, leaving her unconscious and suffering severe injuries to her head and neck. She was admitted to the hospital and then let go.
Initially accused with severe assault, the suspect ran away. He was extradited to New Jersey in January 2024 after being detained in Wilmington, North Carolina, in December 2023. The accusation of attempted murder was enhanced after it was discovered that he had strangled the woman until she was unconscious.
Prosecutors will request a 10-year state prison sentence under the No Early Release Act at the sentencing hearing on October 3.
Billhimer acknowledged that Santiago-Rojas’s apprehension and conviction were made possible by the work of several law enforcement organizations, including the Wilmington Police, Point Pleasant Police, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office units.
