Aggravated Assault charges in New Jersey are felonies.
If you’re facing Aggravated Assault charges, it’s important to understand two things:
1. The extent of your victim’s injuries; and
2. Identifying whether the victim in your case is a member of a “protected class”.
Protected members of our society include law enforcement, firefighters, EMT personnel, school teachers, bus drivers, and many more.
For example, you will be charged with Simple Assault in New Jersey if you slap your next-door neighbor.
However, you will be charged with Aggravated Assault in New Jersey if you slap a police officer.
It’s the same “slap” but depending on the “who the victim” is, you face Simple Or Aggravated Assault Charges.
One Newark client got into a confrontation with his coworker. They exchanged words & the situation quickly escalated to blows. He was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, and harassment. We asserted self-defense & successfully got him into a diversionary program.
Another client in Hackensack got charged with both aggravated assault & aggravated sexual assault and stalking. The victim was his girlfriend & through our investigation, we discovered evidence which weakened the government’s case. As a result, we were able to reduce his first-degree charges to fourth-degree charges. As a result, he avoided serving a 60-year prison sentence.
Aggravated Assault is a felony.
This type of crime is committed in many forms and the degrees of punishment vary.
Whenever you cause someone to suffer serious bodily injury, you will be facing felony charges.
Things get worse if you use any type of weapon. It does not have to be a gun.
You can get charged with aggravated assault even if you did not intend to hurt anyone.
Under New Jersey’s Aggravated Assault law, you will be held responsible for your “reckless actions” or if your actions “manifested an extreme indifference” to the value of human life.
If you are convicted of a second-degree crime in New Jersey, you face:
If you are convicted of a third-degree crime in New Jersey, you face:
If you are convicted of a fourth-degree crime in New Jersey, you face:
If you cause injury to someone with a “deadly weapon”, you will be facing aggravated assault charges.
Simply pointing a gun at someone is aggravated assault.
Even if the gun is unloaded or it is a toy gun, it does not matter.
The simple act of pointing a firearm at or in the direction of another person means that
you are manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
It does not matter that you did not intend to harm anyone.
Deadly weapon means:
You are guilty of Aggravated Assault with a Bodily Fluid if you:
Note: If the victim suffers bodily injury, this shall be a crime of the third-degree.
Otherwise, this shall be a crime of the fourth-degree.
Driving a vehicle in an aggressive manner includes, but is not limited to:
*You commit simple assault against certain persons given special protection by New Jersey law due to their occupations (third-degree crime or fourth-degree crime, depending on injury).
We have devoted an entire article and explainer video for this question.
You or a loved one have been arrested. Understandably, you are terrified & have a lot of questions. You’ve heard about plea bargains & probation, but the process is overwhelming. You want a local attorney near you to represent you.
Mr. Peyrouton is from Ridgewood & handles all types of criminal matters in New Jersey complex as well as nearby cities. The New Jersey Law Journal recently published one of his articles on the subject of criminal law.
Regardless of the criminal charges you are facing, we are here to defend & protect you. Whether you are facing a restraining order, drug charge, theft charge, or aggravated assault charge, we are here to help you. Even a DWI case can really complicate your life.
If we can’t get your charges dismissed, we can either get them downgraded or place you in a diversionary program. The point is, our criminal defense lawyers will fight tirelessly to get you the best result possible. Take advantage of our free consultation to see how we can help.
Our Hackensack criminal lawyers represent clients in Bergen County & nearby counties & cities.
There are plenty of excellent Hackensack criminal lawyers in our area. Most, if not all of them, offer free, 20-minute, consultations. However, our free consultations do not have a time limit. You will never feel rushed.
The best way for us to help you is to patiently listen to your side of the story. Your version of events will serve as the basis for your legal defense. It is during these initial meetings that your memory of the event is fresh in your mind. Why we would rush you during such an important aspect of your case.
We understand that your choice of attorney could mean the difference between your freedom and spending years behind bars.
When you hire an attorney, you are entering a long-term relationship. For this reason, it is important that you feel comfortable with the team of Hackensack criminal lawyers that will represent you.
a. Inflict bodily injury on or physically confine or restrain anyone or commit any other criminal offense;
b. Accuse anyone of an offense or cause charges of an offense to be instituted against any person;
c. Expose or publicize any secret or any asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to impair his credit or business repute;
d. Take or withhold action as an official, or cause an official to take or withhold action;
e. Bring about or continue a strike, boycott or other collective action, if the property is not demanded or received for the benefit of the group in whose interest the actor purports to act;
f. Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another’s legal claim or defense; or
g. Inflict any other harm which would not substantially benefit the actor but which is calculated to materially harm another person.
***It is an affirmative defense to prosecution based on paragraphs b, c, d or f that the property obtained was honestly claimed as restitution or indemnification for harm done in the circumstances or as lawful compensation for property or services.
Reasonable suspicion is a “search” standard that applies in criminal law.
When a police officer conducts a warrantless search, and does not have probable cause to justify the search, the courts look to see if the police had
a “reasonable & articulable suspicion” for the search.
A mere “hunch” is not enough.
In other words, a police officer has to provide an acceptable explanation for the search.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
a. A court imposing a sentence of incarceration for a crime of the first or second degree enumerated in subsection d. of this section shall fix a minimum term of 85% of the sentence imposed, during which the defendant shall not be eligible for parole.
b. The minimum term required by subsection a. of this section shall be fixed as a part of every sentence of incarceration imposed upon every conviction of a crime enumerated in subsection d. of this section, whether the sentence of incarceration is determined pursuant to N.J.S.2C:43-6, N.J.S.2C:43-7, N.J.S.2C:11-3 or any other provision of law, and shall be calculated based upon the sentence of incarceration actually imposed. The provisions of subsection a. of this section shall not be construed or applied to reduce the time that must be served before eligibility for parole by an inmate sentenced to a mandatory minimum period of incarceration. Solely for the purpose of calculating the minimum term of parole ineligibility pursuant to subsection a. of this section, a sentence of life imprisonment shall be deemed to be 75 years.
c. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary and in addition to any other sentence imposed, a court imposing a minimum period of parole ineligibility of 85 percent of the sentence pursuant to this section shall also impose a five-year term of parole supervision if the defendant is being sentenced for a crime of the first degree, or a three-year term of parole supervision if the defendant is being sentenced for a crime of the second degree. The term of parole supervision shall commence upon the completion of the sentence of incarceration imposed by the court pursuant to subsection a. of this section unless the defendant is serving a sentence of incarceration for another crime at the time he completes the sentence of incarceration imposed pursuant to subsection a., in which case the term of parole supervision shall commence immediately upon the defendant’s release from incarceration. During the term of parole supervision the defendant shall remain in release status in the community in the legal custody of the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and shall be supervised by the State Parole Board as if on parole and shall be subject to the provisions and conditions
1st-degree felony charges in NJ are reserved for the most serious criminal offenses. Prison terms start at a minimum of 10 years in prison.
3rd-degree felony charges carry 3-5 years.
You have a good shot at PTI if you are charged with a 3rd-degree.
4th-degree felony charges carry up to 18 months in jail. These cases can get “remanded” to a lower court. In this way, you will be out of “felony” danger.