JERSEY CITY, NJ – A Jersey City man who saw a man breaking into his car on Bergen Avenue confronted the criminal and punched him once to deter the theft.
Now, he’s being charged with manslaughter after Anthony Passero, 51, of Bayonne, dropped to the ground, knocked out. Passero later died at Jersey City Medical Center.
As a result, The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department arrested the car theft victim, Robert Stevens, 40, and charged him with manslaughter, aggravated assault and endangering an injured victim.
According to police, at approximately 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2, members of the Jersey City Police Department responded to a call for a man who had been assaulted on Bergen Avenue between Myrtle and Bostwick Avenues.
“Responding officers found an unresponsive man – later identified as Anthony Passero, 51, of Bayonne – on the ground. He was brought to Jersey City Medical Center, where he died of his injuries on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at approximately 12:40 a.m. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Officer determined the Cause of Death to be Blunt Force Trauma and the Manner of Death to be Homicide,” the Union County Prosecutor’s Office reported.
The criminal complaint signed by the Jersey City Police Department acknowledges that Passero was actively breaking into Stevens’ Jeep. Stevens approached Passero and punched him in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground.
The incident, caught a surveillance camera shows the incident, then shows Stevens getting into his vehicle and leaving.
Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Eric Vivino charges that Stevens should have called 911 in that 21-second period between the encounter and when Stevens left the scene. Stevens claim Passero became irate when confronted about the crime he was committing against Stevens. He claims the assault was done in self-defense, fearing Passero could strike first.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office argued that Stevens did not first ask Passero to stop breaking into his car before assaulting him.