Cops: Father beat girl

Monday, February 23, 2009
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City man was arrested Saturday after admitting to beating his 5-year-old girl, who suffered bruises to her left arm and around her right eye, with a belt, officials said.

The 37-year-old man, a resident of Wegman Parkway, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and neglect of a child, police reports said.

Police were called to a birthday party at 6:38 p.m. Saturday on the report that a 5-year-old girl had bruises to the left arm and right eye, reports said.

Police interviewed the child's father who said that he had bruised her arm with a belt as punishment on Wednesday at 8 p.m., but said the girl bruised her eye walking into a door, reports said.

The girl was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries, including the two bruises, and for additional contusions across her body, police said.

Cops arrested the girl's father at the hospital, reports said.

The child was turned over to the state Division of Youth and Family Services before being returned to her mother, police said.