Father admits role in death of baby girl in Lakewood
LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood man will spend decades behind bars after admitting responsibility in the death of his 3-month-old daughter, a case that began with a frantic call about a baby struggling to breathe inside a township home.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced that 37-year-old Ruben Santiago was sentenced Friday to 25 years in New Jersey State Prison after previously pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter.
Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, Santiago must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The case dates back to the evening of May 5, 2025, when Lakewood police officers were dispatched to a residence on Pinehurst Drive around 7:20 p.m. for reports of an infant having difficulty breathing.
Responding officers found the 3-month-old girl unresponsive inside the home.
Emergency crews immediately began lifesaving measures before the infant was rushed to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick and later transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
The baby died the following day.
An autopsy conducted by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the infant suffered blunt force trauma to the head causing fractures and a subdural hematoma. The death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Special Victims Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined Santiago and the child’s mother were responsible for the infant’s death.
Both parents were arrested on May 7, 2025.
Authorities said Santiago remained jailed following his arrest, while the child’s mother was later released on pre-trial monitoring in January.
At the time of his guilty plea earlier this year, prosecutors said Santiago exonerated the child’s mother from wrongdoing connected to the infant’s death. Charges against her were subsequently dismissed.
Santiago entered his guilty plea on January 15 before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan, who also imposed the sentence Friday.
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Key Points
• Lakewood father sentenced to 25 years in infant daughter’s death
• Baby suffered fatal blunt force trauma to the head, officials said
• Prosecutors dismissed charges against child’s mother after plea