38°
Emiliano Cotzalo-Santiago, 24, was living in Palisades Park and working on a construction site in Closter when he began walking down the middle of Cedar Lane, obstructing traffic, Police Capt. Vincent Aiello said.
This prompted calls to police.
Cotzal-Santiago “attacked the first officer that he came in contact with by punching him in the face,” the captain said.
A second officer sustained cuts on his hand as they attempted to handcuff him, Aiello noted.
Cotzal-Santiago -- crossed the U.S. border illegally in Texas -- then refused to be fingerprinted at police headquarters, the captain said.He was charged with a host of offenses, including three counts each of aggravated assault on police and resisting arrest, as well as disorderly conduct and a charge stemming from the fingerprint refusal, records show.
Cotzal-Santiago was initially sent to New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus for a psychological.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents then took him into custody.
Cotzal-Santiago will be brought before an immigration judge in Newark who will decide whether to deport him immediately or have him prosecuted locally first.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Marlton-Evesham and receive free news updates.
