A 28-year-old Jersey City man has been charged with the murder of a 23-month old infant he was babysitting, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Andrew Howard-French, 28, of Jersey City, was charged with murder yesterday when he was arrested by members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit, Suarez said in a statement.
On Tuesday, July 17th at approximately 3:30 p.m., Jersey City police were dispatched to 115 Van Wagenen Ave. on a report of a child sustaining life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
The child, later identified as 23-month-old Bryce Sparrow, of Jersey City, was transported by Emergency Medical Services to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at approximately 3:45 p.m., police said.
The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has declared the cause of death to be multiple blunt
force injuries and the manner of death to be homicide.
Howard-French, who has been identified as a babysitter of the victim, is scheduled to make his first appearance on these charges in Criminal Justice Reform Court in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City today at approximately 3:00 p.m.
Suarez credited members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit for the
investigation and arrest with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department.
The Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit is actively investigating this case with assistance from the
Jersey City Police Department.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the prosecutor’s office at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at
http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.
All information will be kept confidential.
