A 33-year-old Newark man is facing first-degree and second-degree charges after Hackensack police say he broke into his ex-girlfriend's apartment and assaulted her. Ruben P. Vera was arrested on Thursday, October 8, following what investigators describe as a home invasion that left the woman hurt.
The Hackensack Police Department announced the arrest in a release titled “Newark Man Arrested for Home Invasion Burglary and Aggravated Assault,” stating that Vera was taken into custody for “climbing through his ex-girlfriend's apartment and assaulting her,” according to the Hackensack Police Department. Separate reporting from Daily Voice identified the point of entry as a kitchen window and described the ex-girlfriend becoming dizzy as Vera allegedly choked her, with police further alleging that he pulled at her pants before fleeing the apartment.
According to the same account, a roommate intervened during the alleged attack, and the woman called 911 before being taken to an area hospital for treatment. Daily Voice reported that police later issued warrants charging Vera with first-degree home invasion burglary and second-degree aggravated assault by strangulation.
How Investigators Tracked Down the Suspect
Vera was ultimately located at a Newark store on October 8 by the Hackensack Police Department's Crime Suppression Bureau, per the same Daily Voice report. The outlet also said the Newark Police Department's Emergency Services Unit assisted Hackensack officers in making the arrest, and that Vera was then transported to the Bergen County Jail to await his first court appearance.
As is standard practice, Vera is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and the charges against him remain accusations at this stage.
What the Charges Mean Under New Jersey Law
New Jersey court documents define the category Vera is accused of under as “AGGRAVATED ASSAULT – STRANGULATION OF A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,” according to New Jersey Courts. Separate court materials describing the home invasion burglary charge state plainly that “the indictment charges the defendant with committing the crime of home invasion,” per New Jersey Courts filings.
Strangulation cases carry particular weight in New Jersey's legal system. State police materials note that many strangulation injuries leave little visible evidence, with only 15% of injuries in the cited data capable of being photographed and 35% deemed too minor to photograph at all, according to the New Jersey State Police. The same source states that the risk of homicide is approximately 750% higher for domestic-violence victims who had previously been strangled by an intimate partner.
That risk factor has shaped state policy in recent years. A 2021 announcement from the Office of the Governor of New Jersey, tied to legislation elevating strangulation assault to a second-degree crime, cited a statement that almost half of all domestic-violence homicide victims had previously been strangled by their partners.
