Passaic County authorities announced the arrest of Mr. Ricardo Rivera, 30, of Paterson.
Authority said Rivera was arrested on December 22, after an investigation conducted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit.
According to officials, on October 20, the Paterson Police Department contacted the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding the death of a two-year-old child.
Officials say on the same day, at 6:44 a.m., the child was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center.
On October 23, the Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on the child and determined that the manner of death was homicide, and the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
According to officials, the subsequent investigation, including numerous witness statements, resulted in the charges against Mr. Rivera.
Police charged Mr. Rivera is charged with one count of first-degree Murder and one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Mr. Rivera is currently detained at the Passaic County Jail.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion for the pretrial detention of Mr. Rivera, which will be heard before a Superior Court Judge at a later date.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation.
Despite this accusation, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.