A 37-year-old Atlantic City man has pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child after authorities say he attacked a mother in front of her 5- and 9-year-old children late last year, leaving her with visible facial injuries. Yusef Gordy now faces a recommended three-year prison term under the terms of the plea deal.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced the guilty plea Monday, according to Daily Voice. Authorities say Atlantic City police responded to a residence on December 18, 2025, where they found a mother with visible injuries to her face after Gordy allegedly attacked and threatened her, with officers also meeting with her two children at the scene, both of whom were present during the assault.
Under New Jersey's non-sexual child endangerment statute, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4, prosecutors do not need to prove a child suffered direct physical harm to secure a conviction. According to Villani & DeLuca, P.C., the law can apply when a child is exposed to a foreseeable risk of physical or emotional harm, even without actual injury — which helps explain why Gordy faces this charge even though the documented injuries belonged to the children's mother, not to them.
Why the Children's Presence Raised the Stakes
New Jersey sentencing law treats committing an act of violence in front of a child under 16 as a statutory aggravating factor, one that can influence both detention and sentencing decisions, per the Bianchi Law Group. That same mandate also requires police officers to make an arrest whenever they observe visible signs of physical injury during a domestic violence call, which helps contextualize why officers acted immediately after seeing the mother's facial injuries on December 18.
New Jersey classifies non-sexual child endangerment as a third-degree indictable crime, carrying a potential penalty of three to five years in state prison and fines up to $15,000, according to the Law Office of Anthony J. Vecchio. The three-year sentence recommended in Gordy's plea deal sits at the minimum end of that statutory range for a third-degree offense, as outlined under N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6 by Justia Law.
A Prior Brush With Law Enforcement
Gordy's case is not the first time he has crossed paths with law enforcement in the area. He was previously arrested in Atlantic City in July 2022 on an outstanding $1,000 municipal warrant issued out of Dennis Township, according to the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office.
Domestic Violence Trends Across Atlantic County
The case lands against a backdrop of rising domestic violence reports in Atlantic County. Reported indictable domestic violence cases in the county climbed by roughly 55% to 60% between 2019 and 2022. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office served 1,197 victims in 2022, while WPG Talk Radio reported 748 domestic-violence cases in 2019, per data reported by WPG Talk Radio.
In response to that surge, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office launched the Atlantic County Violence Interruption Program in January 2024, partnering with Wellbeing & Equity Innovations to deliver trauma-responsive support and intervention strategies aimed at preventing crime escalation. In 2022, the office was led by prosecutor Will Reynolds.
Nationally, about 52% of domestic-violence survivors report abuse directly to law enforcement. That statistic underscores why swift police response during active domestic calls, like the one at the Atlantic City residence in December, can matter so much for victims and their children.
