N.J. Man Killed By One Punch At Bar In Paterson: Prosecutor

A New Jersey man was killed by a single punch at a bar, according to authorities.

An arrest was made this week in the Sunday, one-punch homicide of Agustin D. Arias-Gomez, age 53, of Elizabeth, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

This assault-turned-homicide occurred inside of J&G Lounge & Liquors, located at 227 Park Avenue, in Paterson, The suspect was identified as Paterson resident, Luiz Martinez, 34, according to the PCPO.

The incident happened at approximately 8:43 p.m., when there was a brief verbal exchange between Arias-Gomez and Martinez inside of J&G Lounge & Liquors. Martinez allegedly struck AriasGomez across the face with single punch, causingArias-Gomez to fall backwards and strike his head on the floor, according to the PCPO.

Arias-Gomez was transported to and treated at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, but was later pronounced dead on Sunday.

Luiz Martinez is charged with reckless manslaughter, a second degree offense. If convicted of this charge, Martinez faces a sentence of up to 10 years of imprisonment, followed by three years of parole supervision, pursuant to New Jersey’s “No Early Release Act.”

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org. Anyone with additional information may also contact the Paterson Police Department Detective Bureau at (973) 321-1120.

The first appearance for Luiz Martinez is scheduled for July 26, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. before Judge John F. Meola in courtroom 411 of the New Courthouse in Paterson.

PCPO photo