Ocean County Man Sentenced for Attempted Murder

Ocean County Man Sentenced for Attempted Murder

Accordinf to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, on October 3, 2025, Juan Santiago-Rojas, 31, of Point Pleasant Borough, was sentenced to ten years New Jersey State Prison relative to his previously entered guilty plea to Attempted Murder in connection with an incident that occurred in Point Pleasant Borough on August 22, 2022.

The sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning that Santiago- Rojas will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he will be eligible for parole. Santiago-Rojas pled guilty to the charge before Judge Vicari on August 18, 2025.

On August 22, 2022, Officers from the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department responded to a residence on Butler Avenue for a report of an unconscious female.

Responding Officers found the unconscious female victim with serious injuries to her head and neck area. The victim was thereafter transported to Hackensack Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township.

Due to the nature and extent of her injuries, the victim was transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was treated and eventually released.

An investigation revealed that the victim had been assaulted by Santiago-Rojas on August 22, 2022.

Santiago-Rojas was initially charged with Aggravated Assault on August 23, 2022, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. A fugitive from justice, Santiago-Rojas’ name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database.

On December 8, 2023, Santiago-Rojas was taken into custody by law enforcement authorities in Wilmington, North Carolina. On January 12, 2024, Santiago-Rojas was extradited to New Jersey, and lodged in the Ocean County Jail where he has been detained since that date.

Further investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit revealed that Santiago-Rojas assaulted the victim and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness on August 22, 2022.

As a result, Santiago-Rojas was charged with Attempted Murder on January 22, 2024. Santiago-Rojas was served with the new charge by way of complaint-warrant at the Ocean County Jail.