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Grant Mason Simmons, 37, was being held in the Bergen County Jail after Englewood patrol officers rushed to the home and arrested him.
The woman told city detectives that she and her son fled the house after Simmons assaulted her following a night of drinking, Detective Capt. Tim Torell told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
“She said she tried to call 911, but he grabbed her cell phone from her during the call and it never went through,” Torell said.
Medical attention wasn’t required for either the woman or her son, who received a glancing blow to the head after Simmons threw a water bottle at her, the captain said.
As detectives dealt with her and her toddler, Patrol Officers Coleman, Reilly and Van Wormer went and got Simmons, the child’s biological father — who is out on federal parole, the captain said.
Englewood police also notified the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, as well as the U.S. Department of Probation, he said.
“Domestic violence unfortunately happens all too much in our communities,” Torell told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “In Englewood alone, this is our 4th incident in almost a month in which children have been directly involved in violent domestic disputes that necessitated us charging someone with the very serious offense of second-degree child endangerment.
“We’re still reeling over the double homicide we had in January in which a 5-year-old child was murdered during a suspected domestic dispute,” he added (SEE: Arrest in murders of Englewood mother, child). “It just doesn’t make sense when abusers involve children with their problems, especially in violent and physical ways.”
Torell emphasized that battered women have direct access to local services: Every police department in Bergen County, for instance, has a Domestic Violence Crisis Response Team on call around the clock.
“They are trained civilian volunteers who actually respond to the station and assist victims emotionally and advise them of what services are out there to help them,” he said (That group was summoned this morning to Englewood).
At the same time, those who want to help or learn more about dealing with domestic violence victims should visit:
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