Fort Lee Man Gets 27 Years For Killing Infant Son: Report

FORT LEE, NJ — Michael Marrara, a former borough firefighter, will serve 27 years in prison for causing the death of his 10-week-old son, Andrew Jeremy Marrara, in 2012, NorthJersey.com reported.

Marrara faced a maximum of 30 years in prison after he was found guilty in May of aggravated manslaughter.

Police responded to a 911 call on March 26, 2012 reporting that an infant at a Center Avenue apartment was not breathing, authorities reported when Marrara was charged. The unresponsive baby – in the care of Marrara and his wife, Lindsay Whitman – was rushed to Englewood Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Marrara pleaded not guilty to the charges.

State authorities argued that Andrew Marrara had problems feeding and that a frustrated Michael Marrara lost control and either hit the baby or threw him, which caused a brain hemorrhage, NorthJersey.com previously reported.

The death was later ruled a homicide, caused by a "closed hand injury," authorities previously said.

An autopsy conducted the following day revealed the child had been healing from multiple injuries at the time of his death, authorities said. They included three broken ribs and soft tissue injuries.

Further medical tests on the infant Marrara were conducted over the 15-month investigation, authorities said. The child had no underlying medical or physiological abnormalities that could have contributed to the death.

For more information on Marrara's sentencing, visit NorthJersey.com.

Related:

• Fort Lee Firefighter Charged in Death of Infant Son
• Suspended Fort Lee Firefighter's Son Had Broken Ribs, Internal Injuries Before He Died, Prosecutor Says
• Man Accused of Killing Infant Son 'Innocent', Family Says

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Michael Marrara (Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)