A stabbing at an East Orange residence severely injured a mother and her child, leading to the detention of a man.
Jihad Hagler, 27, of Newark, faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, an assault occurred inside a second-floor unit at La Ferrera Apartments on Park Avenue.
The University Hospital in Newark received the three victims with stab wounds. The mother and one of the children had life-threatening injuries. The other child is receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Neighbors informed Eyewitness News that the victims are a mother and her two young children, ages 1 and 3, one of whom celebrated a birthday this week.
“I am in complete and utter shock, and my heart is breaking right now,” remarked one resident. “I can’t believe this. What have we come to? Two children and a mother? I’m not sure what motivates people to do something like that.”
The mother, who is in her twenties, has spent her entire life in the building.
Neighbors reported seeing her with her children on Wednesday, and everyone was in a happy mood after the birthday celebration.
“I’ve been involved for 20 years, and nothing like that has happened,” said the same resident. “Never,” the resident said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
There has been no news about what caused the incident.
The incident is under investigation by East Orange Police.
