NJ man on fentanyl chewed off 78-year-old’s ear, face
🔴 Former college soccer player attacked man on train platform
🔴 He thought victim was a 'robot'
🔴 Sentenced to over 3 years in prison
A man from New Jersey will spend more than three years in prison for biting off another man's ear at a train station in Oregon.
Koryn Kraemer, 27, pleaded guilty to attempted assault on Wednesday in connection with the attack early last year, according to the Multnomah County district attorney. He had previously been charged with second-degree assault.
As part of his plea deal, Kraemer agreed to serve 40 months in prison plus 20 months of supervision upon release. Authorities said he had "substantial family support out-of-state" and that he planned to leave Oregon after serving his prison sentence.
The former goalie at Oberlin College is originally from Westfield, NJ, according to his player profile. He graduated from Westfield High School in 2015.
Thought victim was 'robot'
According to prosecutors, Kraemer was high on fentanyl and marijuana and had consumed alcohol around 2 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2023 when he attacked a 78-year-old man at the Cleveland TriMet MAX train platform in Gresham, Ore.
Kraemer repeatedly bit the man on the face, prosecutors said.
Kraemer "bit and chewed off the victim’s ear and some skin in the area of the victim’s ear and face," authorities said at the time. He said to police that he spit out the victim's flesh.
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Kraemer later said to investigators that he thought the victim was a robot based on the way he smelled.
Police saved him from the robot when they responded, Kraemer said to investigators.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys said the attack was largely the result of Kraemer's schizophrenia, the Oregonian reported. After his arrest, Kraemer was deemed unfit to stand trial and was hospitalized, where he was given medication.
The 78-year-old victim has since died from unrelated causes, KATU reported.
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