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The victim flagged down Officer Sean Amoruso around 10:30 a.m. near Maple Field, where artificial turf was being installed, and said he'd been stabbed, Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke said.
Both men "were working together on Maple Field" and "had an altercation which led to an assault, where a hammer and a stick with a fixed knife on the end were used," said Luthcke, who was one of the responders.
Manny Roman, 42, West Islip, NY was arrested, charged with aggravated assault and weapons possession, and released pending a court hearing, the chief said.
The 44-year-old victim, from Chicago, was taken to The Valley Hospital for evaluation and treatment of injuries that weren't considered life-threatening, she said.
A manager for Shaw Turf, the Freehold-based company installing the new turf, said the worker's claim that he'd been stabbed -- when he wasn't -- made the incident worse than it was.
"Two guys on a job. They get into it," Territory Manager Lee DeFreitas told Daily Voice. "The one guy has a curved knife on a stick used for “picking “ turf seams ( not sharp ).
"They wrestle around and the other guy hits him with stick. No stabbing
"Just happened there was an officer just outside the site and he may have thought it was more than it was," DeFreitas said. "But I guess given the times you can’t be too careful."
A patrol unit from Glen Rock also responded, as did a Bergen County Regional SWAT Team.
Boyd A. Loving contributed to this account.
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