The man who stands accused of killing his own 2-month-old daughter inside a North Arlington home earlier this month is out on bail, awaiting trial, NJ.com and NorthJersey.com are reporting.
Aaron Medrano, 27, is “staying at his parents’ home” in Dover, the reports say, and he reportedly has an ankle monitor attached.
It is not immediately clear whether he’s permitted to return to North Arlington, where he lived on Schuyler Avenue, and where his fiancé, Patricia Artese, 25, also charged in the crime, is believed to still live.
Bergen County Jail inmate records indicate Medrano, who was taken into custody for a second time Jan. 11, was released from the jail 10 days later, Jan. 21, at 4:53 p.m. When he was taken into custody a second time, bail had been listed at $500,000; however, those records are no longer available.
The new published reports also indicates the baby, who was called Giovanna, likely experienced abuse her entire 2 months on this earth.
The incident leading to all this occurred as follows, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella:
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.”
Please check back here at www.theobserver.com for updates to this still-developing story.
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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.