Boyfriend Squeezes Girlfriend's Throat Until She Can't Breathe or Speak: Prosecutors

Austin Newtoff, 23 | Cook County Sheriff

A woman and her father went to the Tinley Park police station to report that her boyfriend tried to strangle her, prosecutors said in court Monday.

Austin Newtoff, 23, was charged with aggravated domestic abuse.

According to the charges, Newtoff and his girlfriend got into an argument on March 11, during which he grabbed her elbow and wrestled her to the ground.

Prosecutors said Newtoff got on top her and grabbed her throat with both hands. He then choked her until she couldn’t breathe or speak.

Police noted bruising on the girlfriend’s arm and red marks on her neck. Her voice was also hoarse from having been choked, prosecutors said.

The girlfriend currently has an order of protection for Newtoff issued in Arizona, prosecutors said. Newtoff also has a conviction for violating an order of protection with another woman.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Newtoff has lived in the Tinley Park area for 14 years and is a graduate of Tinley Park High School.

Bail was set at $150,000. The judge ordered Newtoff to have no contact with his girlfriend. His next court appearance is April 11 in Bridgeview.