A 68-year-old North Bergen man is charged with attempted murder and a slew of other charges for allegedly briefly choking his girlfriend unconscious before pistol whipping her, police said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Faustino Madera, 68, of North Bergen, is charged attempted with murder, criminal attempt, unlawful possession of a handgun, prohibited weapons defaced firearms, possession of a firearm for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of body armor and aggravated assault, according to Police Sgt. Bronson Jusino.
North Bergen Municipal Court Judge Joseph Romano set his bail at $1 million with no 10 percent option.
Yesterday, police received a call of a verbal argument ,possibly a domestic dispute at 9:37 a.m., in the uptown area of the township. When officers arrived, they spoke to the female victim, who was bleeding from her head, officials said.
The victim, who is in her 30s, said she got into an argument with her live-in boyfriend over making breakfast. The boyfriend became very frustrated and dragged her into the bedroom. While in the bedroom, the boyfriend used both his hands and choked the victim, causing her to briefly go unconscious, authorities said.
She also stated that her boyfriend pointed a handgun at her head before he began to pistol whip her several times, causing visible bruising on her neck and open wounds on her head, police said.
Officers recovered a silver handgun .380 caliber with the serial number defaced, that was loaded with hollow point bullets. The victim was taken to Hackensack UMC Palisades for treatment and Madera fled the scene in his vehicle, officials said.
At 10:10 a.m., the Leonia Police Department contacted North Bergen police in reference to the suspect vehicle. Leonia Police reported the suspect had crashed into a tree and the vehicle had heavy front end damage, authorities said.
The suspect was transported to Hackensack University Medical to be treated for a head injury. North Bergen Detectives responded to Leonia and Hackensack to further investigate the matter, police said.
Eventually, Madera was identified and arrested by the North Bergen Police Department, officials said.
