Lakewood father pleads guilty to aggravated manslaughter of 3-month-old daughter

🚔 A Lakewood father pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of his 3-month-old daughter.

⚖️ Prosecutors say the baby suffered a skull fracture, brain bleed, broken ribs, and a healing wrist fracture.

🚔 The baby's mother remains jailed, with her charges pending.

LAKEWOOD — A Lakewood man has admitted to causing the violent death of his newborn daughter.

On Thursday, 36-year-old Ruben Santiago pleaded guilty in Ocean County Superior Court to aggravated manslaughter of his 3-month-old baby nearly a year ago.

Santiago and 28-year-old Caitlin Gibson were both arrested about two days after the death of their baby in May 2025.

Charges against Gibson are pending, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

Read More: Severe injuries prompt murder charges against Lakewood parents

Autopsy reveals violent injuries

According to the Ocean County medical examiner, the infant died from extremely violent injuries, including a brain bleed and skull fracture.

An autopsy also showed seven broken ribs and a broken wrist, which had already begun to heal, revealing they had happened sometime before the baby’s death.

Read More: NJ mom and dad both charged with murder of 4-year-old

Lakewood mom calls 911, police find baby unresponsive

On May 5, 2025, Gibson called 911, saying that her newborn was unresponsive and had just been discharged from a hospital the night before.

Police responded to the couple’s residence on Pinehurst Drive, where Santiago was holding the baby girl.

Despite being rushed to the hospital, the baby died the next day.

Read More: Severe injuries prompt murder charges against Lakewood parents

Conflicting stories on baby's injuries

Santiago had given some conflicting stories to the police, first saying that he had dropped a glass bottle on the baby’s head on May 5, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by investigators.

He then said that he had dropped the newborn after picking her up from a baby seat, and later added that her head might have hit a TV stand.

The medical examiner said none of those scenarios could have caused the "devastating" injuries the newborn had suffered, which were a result of "substantial force.”

Sentencing and remaining charges

Santiago and Gibson have both been detained since their arrests.

At the time of Santiago’s sentencing on March 4, the state would seek a term of 25 years in state prison.

He would be required to serve 85% of that term before being eligible for parole.

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