Man Who Strangled Woman And Left Her For Dead In Point Pleasant Sentenced

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — A Point Pleasant man who strangled a woman nearly to death in a Point Pleasant home has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

Juan M. Santiago-Rojas, 32, was sentenced Friday by Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari on a charge of attempted murder, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Santiago-Rojas, who pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 18, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before he becomes eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act.

Point Pleasant police were called to a Butler Avenue home for an unconscious woman on Aug. 22, 2022 and found the victim with serious injuries to her head and neck, authorities said. She was taken to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick and transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune due to the nature and extent of her injuries.

She was treated and eventually released, authorities said.

Investigators determined the woman had been assaulted by Santiago-Rojas and on Aug. 23, 2022, charged him with aggravated assault and issued a warrant for his arrest, but Santiago-Rojas had fled the area. He was a fugitive for 16 months before he was arrested Dec. 8, 2023, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Authorities have not said what led to his arrest in North Carolina.

He was extradited to New Jersey on Jan. 12, 2024, and has been held in the Ocean County Jail since then. There are two detainers on Santiago-Rojas by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, according to jail records.

Investigation after his arrest determined Santiago-Rojas had assaulted the victim and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness, and he was additionally charged with attempted murder on Jan. 22, 2024.

Previous reporting:

• Man Admits Strangling Woman Nearly To Death In Point Pleasant
  
• Man Who Strangled Woman And Left Her For Dead In Point Pleasant Indicted: Prosecutor
• Man Ordered Detained Ahead Of Trial For Attempted Murder In Point Pleasant
• Man Accused Of Strangling Woman In Ocean County Arrested After 16 Months On Run: Official