Man Charged with Second Degree Aggravated Assault after Punching Man in Face, Police Say

Police arrested and charged a 23-year-old man with second-degree aggravated assault after he allegedly punched a man on Norwood Avenue.

Montclair Police arrested and charged Steven Ruiz-Santana, of Paterson, after he turned himself in to police headquarters on March 14. Police released Ruiz-Santana. He is expected to return to court on May 21. Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is now involved in the case.

The alleged aggravated assault, said Montclair Police Department Lt. Terence Turner, happened after a 53-year-old man blocked Ruiz-Santana’s car after observing him pass a stopped school bus.

Around 4 p.m. on February 29, Montclair Police Department responded to the area of Norwood Avenue and Norman Road. Multiple eyewitnesses told police that Ruiz-Santana refused to stop for a school bus that was dropping children off.

The driver of a school bus, transporting students home from Nishuane School and traveling northbound on Norwood Avenue, stopped at the intersection of Norman Road. Witnesses said the school bus had its stop sign out and stop lights activated. Witnesses observed Ruiz-Santana, who was driving a white Dodge Durango and traveling south on Norwood Avenue, disregard the stop lights and pass the school bus. 

The 53-year-old man was able to stop Ruiz-Santana’s car. The two men got into a verbal altercation. Ruiz-Santana got out of his vehicle. Witnesses said he punched the man on the side of his face with a closed fist and that the man fell to the ground. Ruiz-Santana fleed the scene before police arrived. According to an incident report, Ruiz-Santana pulled over a few blocks from the scene and called the police. Montclair EMS transported the 53-year-old man to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson.