Man Convicted In Fatal Stabbing Behind Mall In Bergen County

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Hudson County man has been convicted of manslaughter in the 2021 stabbing death of a man behind a Bergen County mall, prosecutors said on Friday.

Augusto Perez of North Bergen was convicted on Friday, April 5, in connection with the stabbing death of Omar Cruz on Feb. 16, 2021, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

They said that after a six-week trial before Judge Susan Steele in Bergen County Superior Court, Perez was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and hindering apprehension.

Prosecutors said that on Feb. 16, 2021, Perez stabbed Cruz to death behind the Ulta Beauty store in the Bergen Town Center mall in Maywood.

An investigation led to his arrest at his North Bergen home the next day.

The jury convicted Perez "of aggravated manslaughter and hindering his own apprehension by suppression of blood evidence connecting him to the crime," prosecutors said.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2024.

The defendant faces the possibility of a life sentence in New Jersey State Prison.

The State was represented by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Talarico and Assistant Prosecutor Ricky Ruddy of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, with the assistance of Detective Natalia Navarro and legal clerk Merci Meneses.

Prosecutor Mark Musella thanked "the prosecution team for their zealous advocacy for the victim and his family and for helping combat crimes of violence in Bergen County."

He also commanded, "detectives of the Major Crimes Unit as well as members of the Maywood Police Department under the direction of Chief Terence Kenny, the Paramus Police Department under the direction of Chief Robert Guidetti, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Anthony Cureton, for their skill and professionalism in investigating this matter."