Bergen Pair Charged In Beating Of 2-Month-Old Baby

HACKENSACK, NJ - A couple from Hackensack faces charges in connection with the beating of a 2-month-old baby, according to authorities.

William Galan, 35, and Heather Chambers, 37, were arrested Friday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child following an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

On Oct. 11, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency notified the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office that an infant was being taken to Hackensack University Medical Center after one of the agency's caseworkers discovered the child had "significant forehead bruising," Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.

An evaluation at the hospital determined the infant had a fractured arm, 12 broken ribs, in various stages of healing, and two fractured clavicles, also in various stages of healing, Musella said. The baby also had various other bruises and lacerations, the prosecutor said.

Further investigation by the prosecutor's office determined that Galan and Chambers injured the baby and never sought treatment, Musella said.

Prosecutors did not say why the welfare investigator had been in contact with the child. The news release also did not explain the adults' relationship to each other and the child.

Galan, who is unemployed, and Chambers, a supermarket employee, were taken to Bergen County Jail pending their first court appearance, Musella said.