A North Arlington couple has been arrested in connection with the murder of their 2-month-old baby girl — and one has been charged with first-degree murder — Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced today.
According to Musella, Aaron Medrano, 27, of Schuyler Avenue, North Arlington, the father of the baby, whose name was Giovanna, was hauled into custody (twice), first on Dec. 30, 2021, when he was charged with second-degree aggravated assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
On Jan. 11, 2022, a week after the baby died, he was then charged with first-degree murder. On Dec. 30, Medrano was released from custody, but since he was re-arrested earlier this month, he’s been on remand at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, Musella said.
The baby’s mother, Patricia Artese, 25, also of North Arlington, was arrested Dec. 30 and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She has since been released from custody, the prosecutor said.
On Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. at approximately 6:26 p.m., the North Arlington Police Department received a 911 call from a resident of 505 Schuyler Ave., North Arlington, who reported their 2-month-old daughter was not breathing. The child was subsequently transported to Hackensack University Medical Center.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit was contacted by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency after hospital personnel found numerous injuries on the child. An investigation by detectives from the North Arlington Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office revealed Medrano reportedly caused the injuries to the child.
Sadly, on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2022, the baby died from her injuries.
Six days later, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, Medrano was re-arrested and charged with murder.
After the BCPO announced the charges, North Arlington Mayor Daniel H. Pronti released a statement on social media and to the press calling for residents, not just in North Arlington, to speak out and report suspected cases of abuse of any kind — and for that matter, any instances of suspected crimes.
“By now, most of our residents should be hearing this very troubling news involving the loss of life of a baby, at the hands of her parents,” Pronti, a retired Montclair police officer, said. “Our police department has been investigating this horrible series of events for several weeks, which involves a family, who had been renting an apartment along Schuyler Avenue.
“Whenever something like this occurs in our tight-knit borough, it impacts everyone, whether they were longtime residents or a family simply renting for a short time in-between their next destination. I implore us all to look out for one another. Report any and all suspicious activity. If you suspect child abuse, let someone know. You can make these reports by ways of anonymity. You could save a life.
“We have been seeing domestic acts of violence far too often across the country. Let’s do our part to help. Remember, we are a community and we are all in this together. Let’s all make a difference. Say a prayer for the soul of that defenseless infant, Baby Giovanna, who lost her life. May God bless us all.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.