Death by hammer — Co-worker killed by colleague at NJ office, cops say

NORTHVALE — A 20 year employee of a bicycle manufacturer was bludgeoned to death with a hammer by a co-worker charged with first-degree murder.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Christian V. Giron, 24, of Harrington Park, was taken into custody after police found Jeanette A. Willem at the headquarters of Jamis Bicycle on Ludlow Road in Northvale dead from a head wound on Wednesday morning.

NorthJersey.com reported the Bergen County SWAT team reported to the facility along with police.

Musella did not disclose a motive or the circumstances that led to the incident.

'I have lost my sister and my best friend'

The company in a statement to BicycleRetailer.com said the company was “devastated” at Willem’s death and would be closed until Monday.

“Jamis Bikes is a small and tight-knit group and Jeanette has been a dedicated member of our team for 20 years,” the company said in its statement.

Her brother Matt on a GoFundMe page created to cover funeral costs said Jeanette Willem was his best friend.

"Our minds are on what happened to Jeanette, and how her life was taken from her in a senseless act," Matt Willem wrote on the page.

Giron was charged with third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of third-degree hindering his own apprehension by concealing evidence and one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. He is being held at the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ