A 23-year-old Passaic County man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly punched a man who blocked his car after he passed a stopped school bus in Montclair last month, police said.
Steven Ruiz-Santana, of Paterson, was charged with second-degree aggravated assault on March 14 for the incident in Essex County, said Montclair Police Department Lt. Terence Turner.
Ruiz-Santana turned himself in to police without an attorney, but indicated he had retained one, Turner said.
He was released with a court date of May 21, Turner said.
An attorney for Ruiz-Santana did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
The case was also turned over to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Turner said. A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office did not respond to a request to comment.
Around 4 p.m. on Feb. 29, police were dispatched to Norwood Avenue and Norman Road in Upper Montclair following a report of a dispute, officials said.
Several witnesses reported a school bus traveling northbound on Norwood Avenue was stopped at the intersection of Norman Road, police said. The bus transporting students home from Nishuane School had its stop sign out and lights activated.
Witnesses saw a white SUV traveling south on Norwood Avenue disregard the stop lights and pass the school bus, police said.
A 53-year-old Montclair man stopped the SUV and a “verbal altercation ensued,” authorities said.
Ruiz-Santana left his car and a “physical altercation ensued where the 53-year-old male was punched in the face and fell to the ground,” police said.
Ruiz-Santana allegedly left the scene before police arrived. The 53-year-old man was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, officials said.
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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com.
