NJ Man Who Strangled Police Officer Sentenced To Prison

A New Jersey man who admitted strangling a Pennsylvania police officer until he became nearly unconscious and then tried to take his gun has been sentenced to serve three to eight years in state prison.

Robert McFadden, 25, of Trenton, whose parents work in law enforcement, said Friday that he was "at a loss" to explain his behavior the day of the July 29 assault on Bensalem Township Police Officer David Marshal, according to information from the Bucks County District Attorney's office. “It was a moment of confusion for me,” he said. “It was something not in my character. I was surprised by my own behavior.”

According to authorities, McFadden was stealing items from cars on Neshaminy Avenue when Marshall arrived around 9 a.m. The officer found McFadden and a female accomplice sitting in an SUV parked in a no-parking zone.

When Marshall asked McFadden to get out of the vehicle and tried to handcuff him, McFadden attacked Marshall, throwing him to the ground, information from the District Attorney's office said.

"As the men struggled, McFadden struck the officer several times in the head, choked him until he began to lose consciousness and tried to grab Marshall’s gun," the DA's statement said.

Marshall was eventually able to free himself and arrested the suspects as backup officers arrived.

He suffered cuts on his hands, legs, knees, neck and face, and had strangulation marks on his neck, said Assistant District Attorney Rose E. McHugh, who prosecuted the case.

Heroin and fentanyl were found by authorities during a search of McFadden's vehicle.

Bucks County President Judge Jeffrey L. Finley accepted a plea agreement in which McFadden pleaded guilty to crimes including aggravated assault, possession with intent to deliver heroin, disarming a law enforcement officer and theft from a motor vehicle in return for the negotiated sentence.

McFadden also was ordered to pay $5,009.36 in restitution for Marshall’s medical expenses.