Lakewood, N.J. — A Lakewood man will spend 25 years in state prison after admitting responsibility in the fatal abuse death of his three-month-old daughter, whose injuries were determined to be the result of blunt force trauma to the head, prosecutors said Friday.
Ruben Santiago, 37, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan on aggravated manslaughter charges tied to the infant’s death in May 2025, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, Santiago must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The sentencing closes a yearlong case that began when emergency responders were called to a Pinehurst Drive residence in Lakewood on the evening of May 5, 2025, for reports of an infant struggling to breathe.
Infant died after emergency hospitalization
Lakewood Township police officers arrived at the home around 7:20 p.m. and found the three-month-old girl unresponsive, prosecutors said.
Emergency medical personnel began lifesaving treatment at the scene before transporting the infant to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township. She was later transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
The child died the following day, May 6, 2025.
A post-mortem examination performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the infant suffered blunt force trauma to the head that caused skull fractures and a subdural hematoma. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
Investigation led to arrest of both parents
Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Special Victims Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit launched a joint investigation into the child’s death.
Authorities initially charged both Santiago and the child’s mother, identified by prosecutors as Gibson, after determining the infant’s parents were responsible for the fatal injuries.
Both were taken into custody May 7, 2025, at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters and transported to the Ocean County Jail.
Santiago remained jailed following his arrest and later pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter before Judge Ryan on Jan. 15, 2026.
Key Points
• Ruben Santiago received a 25-year prison sentence in the death of his three-month-old daughter
• Prosecutors said the infant died from blunt force trauma to the head in Lakewood
• Charges against the child’s mother were later dismissed after Santiago accepted responsibility
Charges against mother dismissed after guilty plea
At the time of his guilty plea, Santiago “exonerated” the child’s mother from involvement in the infant’s death, prosecutors said.
As a result, the charges against Gibson were dismissed “in the interests of justice.” She had been released from jail in January 2026 under pre-trial monitoring conditions before the dismissal.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer credited Chief Trial Attorney Kristin Pressman for handling the prosecution and praised the agencies involved in the investigation.
The prosecutor’s office said the case relied on coordinated investigative work by county detectives, local police, crime scene investigators, and the medical examiner’s office.
Santiago will remain in New Jersey State Prison under the terms of his sentence.
Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Lakewood NJ crime, child abuse homicide, New Jersey court sentencing
