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Scranton Man Charged With Brutally Beating Toddler
Scranton Man Charged With Brutally Beating Toddler - Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 6:00PM EST
Reported by: Jill Konopka
Sunday, Jul 13, 2008 @ 06:00pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- A 21-year-old Scranton man is behind bars, accused in the brutal beating of his girlfriend's young son.
Police say it happened at a home on the south side of the city early Sunday morning. Investigators say the baby was beaten so badly, he was life lighted to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
Whenever neighbor Barbara Cianfichi is home on Pittston Avenue, she's got her scanner glued to her ear. “I had my scanner on and the ambulance was called to the second floor," she told Eyewitness News.
Sunday morning Scranton police were outside the apartment building across the street from the Cianfichi's. It was there in a second floor apartment police say Juan Carlos Rodriguez brutally beat his girlfriend's 16-month old son.
Cianfichi saw the incident unfold outside her home. "I saw them carry the child out to the ambulance," she said.
Detectives say Rodriguez fractured the baby's skull; causing his brain to bleed. The toddler had to be life-flighted to Geisinger in Danville. Neighbor Crystal Malabet said, "We rushed home to see what's going on. Police here and everything and it's a scary thought. How could someone beat a kid? That's terrible, so innocent."
Jariel Lopez is another neighbor. "I was like who got hurt, what happened, just wondering as scary as it is," he said.
Malabet and Lopez live below the suspect and victim with their two young children. Lopez added, "People came down screaming, came knocking on our door to use the phone to call 9-1-1. A lot of crying, a lot of commotion. It’s just bad, it's unexplainable."
Rodriguez told police he found the baby bleeding from his mouth when he went to check on him. Detectives think Rodriguez might've actually taken his own frustrations with his girlfriend out on her child.
Neighbors are left with strong words for the suspect. Jariel Lopez said, "Stop the violence with family and try to be good with each other, that's it."
Barbara Cianfichi added, "This is ridiculous, they're ruining the neighborhood. It's sick that poor child."
The baby remains hospitalized in critical condition. Juan Carlos Rodriguez is being held on $50,000 straight bail. He's charged with simple and aggravated assault and more.
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