By: Richard L. Smith
Police in Montclair took a Fairfield Man into custody and charged him with assault outside the Board of Education building.
On Friday, April 12, at around 8:00 p.m., a violent altercation involving two pickup trucks ramming into each other escalated into a physical and bloody confrontation at the Montclair Board of Education building located at 22 Valley Road.
Montclair Police were dispatched to the scene following multiple reports of the dispute involving weapons.
Upon arrival, police separated the individuals involved, a 58-year-old male from Randolph, NJ, and Mr. Giuseppe Iudici, 60, from Fairfield.
The scene was chaotic, with significant vehicle damage, shards of taillight scattered across the parking lot, and considerable amounts of fresh blood near one of the vehicles.
The Randolph man was found covered in blood and was reported as the victim in this incident.
The confrontation began when the victim, who was meeting a friend, parked at the location and was unexpectedly struck by the other vehicle driven by Iudici.
Police say the initial verbal altercation quickly turned physical, with the suspect fetching a masonry hammer from his truck to attack the victim, followed by strikes with a three-foot leveling tool, causing severe head lacerations to the victim.
Emergency medical services from Montclair and Glen Ridge responded, treating the individuals at the scene.
The victim was transported to Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson and was later released. Meanwhile, the suspect received treatment for pain at Mountainside Hospital.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and was taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility pending further legal proceedings.