NJ dad charged with murder after throwing baby to the floor, cops say

PERTH AMBOY — A father's admission led to him being charged with the murder of his four-month-old baby girl, police said.

Radamez Santana, 22, told police while being questioned on Tuesday that he threw the child into a swing and then onto the floor next to a bed, according to the affidavit.

He said that the girl began to cry and eventually turned gray when she stopped breathing. He said he contacted the girl's mother and asked for help.

When police arrived at their first-floor apartment on Compton Avenue on Nov. 10, the girl was still not breathing and a witness was performing CPR as Santana and the mother watched, according to the affidavit.

He was charged by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Tuesday with first-degree murder in the death of the girl.

According to the affidavit filed by investigators, the doctor from the Office of the Middlesex County Medical Examiner told investigators the girl's head injuries were not consistent with his initial statement to police.

The child was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge where the child was pronounced dead.

The identity of the witness was not disclosed in the documents.

Santana was also charged Tuesday with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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