A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after being accused of hitting a woman in the head with a baseball bat, officials said. He also faces charges for touching another woman inappropriately as well as trying to pull a third woman into a car.
35-year-old Quamel Benton was arrested last week after Willingboro Township Police officers responded to a report of a disturbance at a home on Raeburn Lane.
The responding officers found a woman inside the home on March 21 with a severe head wound and they had her airlifted to a nearby hospital where she is listed in critical but stable condition, officials said.
During the investigation, officials say they discovered that after the assault, Benton fled the scene using her car leaving young children in the house alone.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The next day, officers with the Toms River Police Department chased Benton on foot after he crashed his car into a utility pole around 1 a.m., police said. Officers were able to take him into custody.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said that Benton has been charged with attempted murder, endangering an injured victim, neglecting a child and other related offenses.
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Benton is also facing charges in Ocean County for trying to pull a teenage girl into a car and also for grabbing another woman inappropriately in the parking lot of a retail store, police said.
He is currently being held in the Burlington County Jail awaiting trial.
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