NJ Man Hits Ex With Car After Confronting Her, New Boyfriend, Cops Say

WAYNE, NJ — A man hit his ex-girlfriend with a car after confronting her and her new boyfriend in a Wayne hotel parking lot, police said.

Authorities have charged the Paterson resident with aggravated assault with a weapon, assault by auto, and other offenses.

Officers were called to the Quality Inn on Route 46, just after 4:30 a.m. Sunday, after getting reports that a man had shattered his ex-girlfriend's car windshield in the parking lot. A responding officer tried to stop the man from driving away, and police said he refused to cooperate with the investigation.

The woman's current boyfriend told police that the other man, identified as Rafael Rodriguez Peralta of Paterson, had smashed the windshield with a rock. Officers found the woman unconscious on the ground, but breathing.

When she came to, the woman told police that Peralta confronted her and her boyfriend "in a rage," and had thrown her cell phone before breaking the windshield. As Peralta began to drive away, the woman said she tried to stop him, and he hit her — causing her to lose consciousness when she hit her head on the pavement.

A police lieutenant reviewed security footage from the hotel, and was able to confirm Peralta hit the woman with his car, police said.

Officials arrested Peralta, 42, on the following charges: Aggravated assault with a weapon, assault by auto, endangering an injured victim, theft, and criminal mischief. He was taken to the Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Police said Peralta had the woman's cell phone with him when he was arrested.