An 18-year-old New Milford man was stabbed twice in the chest at a Bergenfield park after stepping in to protect another teenager from what police say was a planned attack following a pickup basketball game. Two Bergenfield juveniles have been charged in connection with the Friday night assault at Veterans Memorial Park, and both are being held at a county juvenile detention facility.
According to Daily Voice, Bergenfield police responded to the park at 241 New Bridge Road on Friday and found the 18-year-old victim suffering from two stab wounds to his chest. Police say the two Bergenfield juveniles began assaulting a 17-year-old Dumont boy who was the intended target of the planned attack, and the New Milford teen was stabbed after he intervened, per Captain William Duran.
The Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated the victim at the scene before he was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center. He was listed in stable condition, with his injuries described as non-life-threatening. Hackensack University Medical Center operates Bergen County's primary Level I Adult Trauma Center, according to Hackensack Meridian Health, giving the victim access to advanced emergency care.
Suspects Fled in Gray Nissan, Were Quickly Caught
Police identified the getaway vehicle as a gray 2009 Nissan Altima that the two juveniles used to flee the park, the report notes. Officers took both suspects into custody shortly after the attack, and they were later remanded to the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center, a secure facility in Teterboro operated under the Bergen County Division of Family Guidance, according to the New Jersey Juvenile Detention Association.
A 16-year-old Bergenfield boy faces the more serious charges: aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence, the same report states. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b), aggravated assault can carry maximum confinement of up to three years in a juvenile facility for a second-degree offense, according to Villani & DeLuca, P.C. A 17-year-old Bergenfield boy was charged with simple assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, the report states.
Case Now Heads to Family Court
Both teens are pending further action in Bergen County Superior Court's Family Division, the outlet reports. It remains unclear what weapon was used in the attack, what evidence was allegedly tampered with, and what specific dispute triggered the planned assault after the basketball game — details police have not yet disclosed publicly.
The article does not state whether prosecutors will seek to waive either juvenile's case into adult Criminal Court. Under New Jersey's Youth Justice Code, N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-26.1, county prosecutors have up to 60 days from receiving a delinquency complaint to file such a motion, according to the Bianchi Law Group. The legal source describes potential adult prison exposure, including up to 10 years for a second-degree offense and possible NERA service, but does not establish that those terms are mandatory in these circumstances.
A Shared Park Across Town Lines
Veterans Memorial Park is one of Bergenfield's main recreational sites, with lit basketball courts, baseball fields, walking paths, and a splash pad that regularly draw youth athletic clinics and community events, according to the Borough of Bergenfield Recreation Department. Bergenfield, Dumont, and New Milford share contiguous borders in northern Bergen County, and the pickup game brought teenagers from the three towns together; the Borough of Dumont lists local parks and playgrounds.
Bergenfield has 28,321 residents and covers about 2.9 square miles, according to the Bergenfield Police Department. The article does not provide data on violent altercations in county parks, county and state violent-crime rates, or Superior Court docket patterns in Hackensack, and the linked Lustberg Law Offices, LLC material does not establish those comparisons.
