Cops Say Man Almost Beaten to Death in GlouCo Baseball Bat Attack
A baseball bat attack in Gloucester County left a man critically injured and another man accused of attempted murder.
Franklin Township police responded about 6 p.m. Sunday to a residence in Newfield. Officers who arrived at the Catawba Avenue residence saw a trail of blood leading to an upstairs apartment, where police said they found the victim, 41-year-old Juan Hernandez, unconscious.
Also there was 61-year-old Antelmo Refugio Dominguez, who police identified as the suspect.
Hernandez was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden in critical condition with life-threatening head injuries. As of Monday afternoon, Hernandez was getting out of surgery and remained hospitalized.
According to detectives from the township police force and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, motive in the attack may have been an ongoing dispute regarding a relative of the suspect's.
Police said Hernandez was struck with the bat while exiting his apartment after hearing a knock on the downstairs door.
A bloody baseball bat and wooden club used in the assault were both found at the scene, police said.
Dominguez was charged with first-degree attempted homicide, second-degree aggravated assault with a weapon, and two counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
He was being held Tuesday at the Salem County Jail while awaiting a detention hearing.
Both men are residents of Newfield, which disbanded its police force in November 2017 under an agreement with Franklin Township.