A 33-year-old Jersey City fugitive is facing an attempted murder charge for a Hasbrouck Heights stabbing last Monday evening, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Yusef E. Muhammad, 33, of Jersey City, is charged with first-degree attempted murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree possession of a weapon, Musella said in a statement.
These charges are related to a stabbing that occurred in Hasbrouck Heights on Monday, August 18th, and were filed after an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Hackensack Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Antista.
On that date at approximately 9:25 p.m., the Hackensack Police Department was notified by HMH Hackensack University Medical Center that a stabbing victim arrived at the hospital.
Responding officers met with hospital staff who were treating a 33-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds.
Responding officers determined that the victim arrived at the facility in a vehicle, which ultimately drove off. The victim was admitted in critical condition. She underwent emergency surgery for her injuries and survived.
Immediately following the incident, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit were notified, responded to the hospital, and initiated a joint investigation with the Hackensack Police Department.
The investigation revealed that the victim was stabbed in the torso multiple times by an acquaintance, Muhammad, while both were inside of her parked vehicle in Hasbrouck Heights, just a few minutes’ drive from HMH Hackensack University Medical Center.
Detectives also determined that he fired a handgun at the victim just prior to the stabbing, but she was not struck by the bullet.
After she was stabbed, Muhammad drove the victim to the emergency room and then fled in the victim’s vehicle, which was later recovered by law enforcement on Duffield Avenue in Jersey City.
To date, attempts by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Hackensack Police Department to locate and arrest the suspect have been unsuccessful; he remains a fugitive from justice at this time.
Investigators have learned that over the past few years, prior to this incident, Muhammad was employed as a long-haul truck driver, an occupation that can involve lengthy road trips operating a tractor-trailer with a sleeping cab.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tip Line at 201-226-5532.
Musella thanked the Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey Transit, Secaucus, and Jersey City Police Departments, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, for their assistance in the matter.
