Father Abused 6-Year-Old Son 2 Weeks Before Child’s Death: OCPO

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ - An Ocean County man has been charged with endangering the welfare of his six-year-old son in an incident less than two weeks before the child’s death, authorities said.

Christopher Gregor, 29, of Barnegat, was charged earlier this month in connection to a March 20 incident in which Gregor “committed acts of abuse against the child in Barnegat,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a news release.

On April 2 - just 13 days after the alleged date of abuse - officers from the Stafford Township Police Department responded to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin in response to the death of the six-year-old.

The death of the child remains an ongoing investigation, Prosecutor Billhimer said.

NJ.com reports that the child has been identified as Corey Micciolo of Englishtown by his mother Breanna Micciolo. In a Change.org petition, Corey’s mother noted that, for two years, she has “begged child protective services to help me get him away from his abuser.”

“No one listened or helped, the day before he died I asked a judge through an emergent order to allow me to have full custody pending a [New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency] investigation outcome. That judge denied it and the very next day my son was gone,” the petition continues.

Several reports state that the abuse charges stem from Gregor allegedly making the six-year-old run on a treadmill at a fitness facility in Barnegat. Jersey Shore Online reports that besides apparent rug burns (which Corey’s mother attributes to rubber burns from falls on the treadmill), Breanna has also noted incidents of a busted lip, fingerprint markings and blood pooled at the bottom of the child’s eyes after visits with his father.

“He would tell us that his dad hit him, or he was trying to get away from his dad,” the mother told the publication. “There was just so much in a little bit of time.”

Gregor surrendered himself to the Barnegat Township Police Department on July 9. He remains lodged at Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.