NJ Father Charged With Murder Of Newborn Says He 'Threw' The Infant

PERTH AMBOY, NJ — More information has been revealed in the case of a 22-year-old Perth Amboy man accused of killing his infant daughter last week.

The father, Radamez Santana, admitted that while watching the baby last Thursday morning he "threw" the four-month-old girl into a baby swing and then onto the floor next to the bed, according to an affidavit of probable cause released Friday by Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

The infant was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital a few hours later.

On the morning of Nov. 10, Perth Amboy Police received a 911 phone call that an infant was not breathing inside a first-floor apartment on Compton Avenue. It was a family member, not Santana, who called 911. Santana, the baby's mother and a third party, described only as a witness, were inside the home when police got there.

Responding officers found the witness performing CPR on the infant.

The infant was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 10:52 a.m. that same day.

The following Monday, Nov. 14, detectives spoke with the doctor from the Middlesex County Medical Examiner who was performing an autopsy on the infant. The doctor indicated the baby had optical nerve hemorrhaging, which is bleeding behind her eyes, and sub-arachnoid hemorrhaging, which is bleeding in the space that surrounds the brain.

The doctor did say he or she could not say how exactly the injuries occurred without further testing and investigation.

However, the head injuries were not consistent with the statement given by her father at the time of the incident, said police.

The next day, Tuesday, Santana came to Perth Amboy police headquarters to speak with detectives, and he provided a voluntary audio- and video-recorded statement to police.

In that statement, Santana said he "threw the victim into a swing and then onto the floor next to the bed," according to the affidavit.

"After he threw the (infant) on the floor, the victim began crying, and eventually the victim's lips turned grey, and the victim stopped breathing. Mr. Santana then contacted the victim's mother and requested help for the (baby)."

That same day he gave police that statement, Santana was charged with one count of second-degree child endangerment and one count of first-degree murder.

Santana remains behind bars at the Middlesex County Jail as of Friday morning, said a spokeswoman for the prosecutor. He will remain in the county jail until his Nov. 29 detention hearing, which is where a judge will decide if he will remain in jail or be let out on bail.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Betancourt at 732-442-4400, or Detective Kelley at 732-745-3330.

Original report: Perth Amboy Man Accused Of Killing Infant Daughter, 4 Months (Nov. 17)