Prosecutors say four Bergen County men forced their way into a Dumont home, assaulted one victim with a knife, and threatened another before fleeing the scene.

Dumont, NJ — Four Bergen County men have been charged in connection with an armed home invasion in Dumont that authorities say left one man with a knife wound to the head following a violent confrontation inside a residence earlier this year.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced Thursday that Andrew Baik, 31, of Cliffside Park, Christian I. Curatola, 31, of Bergenfield, Brendan J. Hayes, 31, of Bergenfield, and Kerby W. Santillan, 31, of Bergenfield, were arrested following a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and the Dumont Police Department.

Knife attack followed dispute among acquaintances

According to prosecutors, the incident occurred during the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 4, when two vehicles arrived at a home on Larch Avenue after what investigators described as a dispute among acquaintances.

Authorities said multiple suspects forced their way into the residence and repeatedly struck an adult male victim in the head with a knife, causing a laceration above his right eye. During the home invasion, one of the suspects allegedly pointed the knife at another victim inside the residence and threatened them before the group fled in two vehicles.

Officers with the Dumont Police Department responded to the scene and launched an investigation that identified the two vehicles as being owned or operated by Curatola and Hayes. As the investigation progressed, detectives identified Baik and Santillan as additional suspects involved in the alleged home invasion.

Multi-agency operation led to arrests

On Sept. 24, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Dumont Police Department, assisted by the Bergenfield and Cliffside Park police departments, carried out coordinated arrests at the suspects’ residences.

Curatola and Santillan were taken into custody in Bergenfield, while Baik was arrested in Cliffside Park. Hayes later surrendered to authorities on Sept. 29.

Each of the four defendants has been charged with first-degree home invasion burglary, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

Baik, Curatola, Hayes, and Santillan were initially remanded to the Bergen County Jail. Prosecutors said Hayes was later ordered released, while Baik, Curatola, and Santillan remain detained pending hearings in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack. Information about criminal charges and court proceedings is available through the New Jersey Judiciary at https://www.njcourts.gov.

In announcing the charges, Musella thanked the Dumont Police Department for its work throughout the investigation and also credited the Bergenfield and Cliffside Park police departments for assisting with the arrests. As with all criminal cases, the charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Related: More coverage of Bergen County, New Jersey, Crime, and Police is available on Shore News Network.