New York father accused of brutally assaulting infant twins charged with manslaughter after one infant dies
A New York man who was previously charged with aggravated assault over the injuries sustained by his twin infants has now been charged with manslaughter after one of the children succumbed to their injuries.
Jonathan Melendez, 27, of the Bronx, first came under suspicion after the twins, who are seven weeks old, had been brought to the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey on October 23 by their mother with significant injuries, according to a press release.
She had noticed one of them was unresponsive and had rushed them to the hospital for treatment, and it was found that the children had suffered multiple fractures, as well as head trauma. One of the children was in a stable condition while the other was in critical condition.
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit initiated an investigation regarding his twin infants, and during their investigation, learned that the children had been in the custody of Melendez, their biological father, at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, when the injuries were inflicted on them.
On October 25, Melendez was arrested by deputies from the Teaneck Police Department and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was remanded into custody at the Bergen County Jail.
Close to a week later, on October 31, the Hackensack University Medical Center contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit to inform that one of the infants had succumbed to the injuries and had been pronounced dead at 12:10 pm.
After receiving the notification, a joint investigation was conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Teaneck Police Department under the direction of Chief Glenn M. O'Reilly.
The Teaneck Police Department subsequently charged Melendez with one count of Aggravated Manslaughter, a 1st-degree felony.