Ocean Co. Man Admits Breaking Into Home, Stabbing Owner: Prosecutor

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ - A Seaside Heights man admitted Monday that he broke into a local home last year and repeatedly stabbed the homeowner, authorities said.

Porfirio Serrano-Cruz, 40, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in connection with the Seaside Park stabbing incident on June 30, 2022, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

At around 5:15 a.m. on the night of the attack, Seaside Park police officers responded to a residence on O Street in response to a 911 call stating that someone had broken into his residence and tried to kill him.

A 39-year-old male victim with multiple stab wounds to the arms, chest, abdomen and groin was discovered a short while later, Billhimer said. He was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for his injuries and was later released.

An investigation into the attack from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit and Seaside Park Police Department found that Serrano-Cruz was responsible for the stabbing, Billhimer said.

Later that day, Serrano-Cruz was found in Seaside Heights and taken into custody by Seaside Heights Police Department officers. He has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail ever since.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 27. The prosecution will be seeking a term of seven years in state prison.