WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — A 22-year-old Woodbridge man has been arrested and charged in connection with a brutal hammer attack on his stepfather, who remains hospitalized in critical condition, authorities announced Saturday.
On December 7, 2024, at approximately 6:42 p.m., police responded to a residence on Sherry Street after receiving a report of an unconscious male who had suffered severe head injuries. Upon arrival, officers found a 48-year-old Woodbridge Township man who had been struck multiple times in the head with a hammer.
The victim was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he is being treated for critical injuries, authorities said.
An investigation conducted by Detective Perry Penna of the Woodbridge Police Department and Detective Javier Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that the victim’s stepson, Ronald Javier Polanco-Barrera, attacked him during the incident. Polanco-Barrera was taken into custody without incident.
He has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
