JACKSON, N.J. – A 19-year-old Freehold man has admitted trying to kill a woman during a stabbing at a Jackson Township apartment complex where police also found an unharmed 19-month-old child.
Jaden Thompson pleaded guilty Monday to attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child and eluding, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced. Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer accepted the pleas.
The stabbing happened Nov. 27, 2025, at the Paragon Apartments on Larsen Road. Jackson police responding to a report of a stabbing found a woman wounded in the abdomen and the 19-month-old lying in the area where the attack occurred.
Woman Stabbed at Paragon Apartments in Jackson
The child was not injured. The woman was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she received treatment and was later released.
Investigators identified Thompson as the person responsible for stabbing her, according to prosecutors. He fled Jackson in a black Hyundai Sonata, and police entered his name into the National Crime Information Center database.
The search for Thompson continued into the following day.
- Thompson pleaded guilty to attempted murder, child endangerment and eluding.
- Prosecutors will seek a 10-year state prison sentence, with the three sentences running concurrently.
- Thompson has been held in the Ocean County Jail since Nov. 29, 2025.
Was the 19-month-old child hurt during the stabbing?
No. Jackson police found the infant in the area where the stabbing occurred, but prosecutors said the child was not injured.
Police Chase Ends With Crash in Edison
On Nov. 28, officers with the Edison Township Police Department located the Hyundai Thompson was using, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Police tried to stop the vehicle, but Thompson sped away recklessly, prosecutors said. The pursuit ended when he crashed the car.
Thompson then tried to get away on foot but was captured nearby.
He was transferred to the Ocean County Jail on Nov. 29 and has remained detained there since.
What prison sentence is Jaden Thompson facing?
Prosecutors plan to seek 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for attempted murder, five years for child endangerment and five years for eluding. The state is asking for the sentences to run concurrently, meaning they would be served at the same time rather than added together.
Sentencing Scheduled for October
The attempted murder sentence sought by prosecutors would be subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act. Under NERA, defendants convicted of certain violent crimes generally must serve 85% of the imposed sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Thompson is scheduled to return to court for sentencing Oct. 23.
Because he has now pleaded guilty, the case has moved beyond allegations as to the offenses he admitted. Palmer will determine the final sentence.
Where did the Jackson stabbing happen?
The attack occurred at the Paragon Apartments on Larsen Road in Jackson Township. The victim survived after being treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Sources: Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Sept. 1 announcement of Jaden Thompson’s guilty pleas
