MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A 45-year-old Manchester man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after a violent assault that left his 71-year-old mother seriously injured inside her home last summer. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Joseph Cavallaro entered the plea before Judge Guy P. Ryan on January 30.
Prosecutors said Cavallaro faces a 10-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison under the No Early Release Act when he returns to court for sentencing on March 26. The charge stems from a June 27, 2025, incident at the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Community, where police responding to a call of a woman in distress found the elderly victim suffering from severe trauma.
Authorities reported that the victim, later identified as Cavallaro’s mother, sustained extensive injuries including a concussion, skull and facial fractures, and broken ribs. She was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, treated for her wounds, and later released.
An investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Manchester Township Police Detective Bureau determined that an argument between Cavallaro and his mother escalated into a physical confrontation. Cavallaro admitted during his plea that his intent during the assault was to cause her death.
Cavallaro was arrested later that day without incident and has remained in custody at the Ocean County Jail since his apprehension. Prosecutors are expected to seek the full 10-year term at sentencing, noting that the No Early Release Act requires offenders to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Key points:
• Joseph Cavallaro, 45, pleaded guilty to attempted murder of his 71-year-old mother.
• The victim suffered a fractured skull, ribs, and facial bones but survived the attack.
• Cavallaro faces 10 years in state prison under the No Early Release Act.