NJ Couple Fakes Home Invasion After Man Shoots Himself In The Leg, Cops Say

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Bergen County couple is facing charges after faking a home invasion, with the man shooting himself in his own leg, according to prosecutors.

Juan B. Rodriguez-Santos, 30, and Lisa M. Palacio, 29, both from Moonachie, face several charges after falsely reporting a home invasion earlier this month, police say.

On Oct. 14, police responded to the couple’s home after a 9-1-1 call from them reporting an incident in their home. Police arrived to find that Rodriguez-Santos had a non-fatal injury to his leg, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Officials said that Rodriguez-Santos initially told police that he was stabbed in the leg, but authorities later discovered the injury to be a gunshot wound.

Later, Rodriguez-Santos told police that his home was broken into by a masked gunman, who tried to rob him before shooting him in the leg with a pistol, according to authorities

Palacio initially corroborated Rodriguez-Santos’ second story, that a gunman had entered the home and shot him, but later said that she didn’t know what happened to Rodriguez-Santos, police said.

Investigators then determined that no home invasion or robbery attempt ever took place, and that Rodriguez-Santos’ gunshot wound was self-inflicted, prosecutors said.

Police added that Palacio had hidden the gun from responding officers.

Additionally, Rodriguez-Santos was found to be in possession of other people’s identification documents, police said.

The day after the incident, Rodriguez-Santos was arrested and charged with making false reports to law enforcement authorities, two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution, trafficking in personal identifying information pertaining to another person, and tampering with physical evidence.

Palacio was arrested the same day and charged with making false reports to law enforcement authorities, hindering apprehension or prosecution by concealing evidence, hindering apprehension, and tampering with physical evidence.

The duo was taken to the Bergen County Jail before they were ordered released pending further court action.