Bail set at $20,000 for naked man charged in Jersey City meat cleaver attack

Monday, October 03, 2011, 7:22 PM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal


Dirk A. Baezner appears in Central Judicial Processing court today via video link from the Hudson County jail in Kearny.

JERSEY CITY ? Bail was set at $20,000 today for a Jersey City man charged with attacking a man with a meat cleaver while he was stark naked on Friday.

Dirk A. Baezner, 45, of Kensington Avenue in Jersey City, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, attempting to take a uniformed police officer's expandable baton, and several weapons offenses, in connection to the incident on Bergen Avenue at 10:54 a.m., officials said.

At his first court appearance today, Baezner was clothed in the green garb of the Hudson County jail when he appeared in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny.

A police officer on patrol on Bergen Avenue Friday saw Baezner, who was clad in nothing but eyeglasses, chase another man with the shiny cleaver, the type of knife used to hack apart chickens and steaks.

The officer caught up with the men at Fairview Avenue and he saw Baezner on top of the 60-year-old victim trying to cut him with the cleaver, reports said. The victim struggled to hold Baezner's arms to prevent getting cut, reports said.
"The allegation is you attacked the victim with a meat clever and cut the right palm of his hand," CJP Judge Richard Nieto told Baezner in court.

Police said the victim was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment and the suspect was also taken to the hospital for a psychological evaluation.

At today's hearing Nieto attempted to ascertain the relationship between Baezner and the victim in order to determine if a restraining order was appropriate.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor William Specht said "Unfortunately, the police reports do not disclose how he came to be on the street without clothes. I have no knowledge of the relationship between him and the victim."
Baezner faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge. His bail includes a 10 percent cash option.

Naked Jersey City man chases 60-year-old with meat cleaver, reports say

Sunday, October 02, 2011, 7:17 PM
By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal

A naked Jersey City man attacked a 60-year-old man with a meat cleaver at Bergen and Fairview avenues in Jersey City at around 11 a.m. Friday, police reports said
A naked Jersey City man wielding a meat cleaver while pursuing another man was arrested Friday morning after he streaked by a police officer, reports said.

Dirk A Baezner, 45, of Kensington Avenue in Jersey City, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a weapon, police reports said.

A police officer on patrol on Bergen Avenue at 10:54 a.m. saw Baezner, wearing only glasses, run by while chasing another man with a shiny silver-colored meat cleaver, reports said.

The officer caught up with the men at Fairview Avenue, where he saw Baezner on top of the victim trying to cut him with the cleaver, reports said.

The victim was struggling to hold Baezner's arms to prevent the weapon from cutting him, reports said.

The officer tackled and disarmed Baezner who was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment for minor scrapes and a mental evaluation, reports said.

The 60-year-old victim who received numerous cuts and bruises to his hand and body was also taken to the hospital, reports said.

Police reports did not indicate what, if anything, prompted the attack,