WAYNE, NJ – Police Chief Jack McNiff, along with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s office announced the arrest of a Wayne man for endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault and child abuse, according to a statement released to the press.
On May 31, 2020, volunteers from the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad and Wayne PD responded to a call for a non-responsive four-week-old infant.
The child was quickly transported to St. Joseph’s University Hospital, and after an examination, doctors discovered multiple external and internal injuries.
The statement did not provide details on the recovery of the child, but because there were no murder or manslaughter charges, the presumption is that the child survived the incident.
After a nearly year-long investigation that involved the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the Wayne PD, 30-year-old Slobodan Todoric of Wayne was taken into custody on Monday, May 10, 2021 and charged with second degree Aggravated Assault, second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child and fourth degree Child Abuse and Neglect.
According to the statement, “The sentencing exposure on second degree Aggravated Assault is five to ten years in New Jersey State Prison with 85% of the sentence to be served before parole eligibility, pursuant to the No Early Release Act; on second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child it is five to ten years in New Jersey State Prison and on fourth degree Child Abuse and Neglect it is up to eighteen months in New Jersey State Prison.”
Todoric appeared in Central Judicial Processing the next day and was released “on pretrial monitoring with conditions pending disposition of the case,” read the statement.
The investigation continues, and the Prosecutor’s Office is asking for anyone with any information about this incident or any other incidents involving Todoric to reach out to them either through their Tips Line: 1-877-370-PCPO or to call the Wayne Police Department at 973-694-0600.
The charges against Todoric are accusations, and he is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
