Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and MontvilleTownship Police Chief Rudolph Appelmann announce the arrest of a 26-year-old Irvington man accused of assaulting a woman and seriously injuring a three-year-old in Pine Brook.
Fairfield Police Department officers responded to the report of an assault at the Knights Inn, 55 Rt. 46 in Pine Brook (Montville Township) at approximately 2:45 p.m.
The child and his mother were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The child sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized. The child’s mother was treated and released.
The attacker - later identified as Maurice Pearson - was detained at the scene by officers of the Montville Police Department and subsequently arrested.
Pearson has been charged with one count of second degree aggravated assault and one count of second degree endangering the welfare of a child for assaulting a three-year-old child.
He was also charged with one count of third degree aggravated assault for injuring a 25-year-old female victim.
An additional count of third degree hindering was charged for providing false information to law enforcement.
The defendant and the adult female victim were in a dating relationship when the assault occurred. The injured child is the female victim’s son.
The Honorable Andrew W. Wubbenhorst set bail at $100,000 no 10 percent, cash, bond or property.
The defendant will be remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility.