Dhenmark Francisco, 28, of Toms River, and Jovi Esperanza, 31, of Beachwood. (Photos: Ocean County Jail)
Two employees of a Bayville nursing and rehabilitation facility were lodged in the Ocean County Jail Thursday after being charged in an assault on a patient that left him in critical condition.
Dhenmark Francisco, 28, of Toms River, and Jovi Esperanza, 31, of Beachwood, were each charged with aggravated assault in connection with an incident that occurred at the Crystal Lake Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center on Oct. 14, 2024. Both men were employed as certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, at the facility.
Police were contacted by other employees at Crystal Lake on Oct. 15 regarding a patient that had been assaulted, prosecutors said in a statement Thursday. An investigation by the Berkeley Township police detective determined that on the prior day, at approximately 11:45 a.m., a 52 year-old male patient was assaulted by two CNAs who were employed by the facility. The patient was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, and then transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick for treatment of his injuries. He is listed in critical but stable condition.
An investigation identified Francisco and Esperanza as the CNAs responsible for assaulting the victim, authorities allege. On Oct. 15, 2024, Francisco was taken into custody at the facility without incident and brought to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing. Later the same day, Esperanza surrendered himself at Berkeley Township Police headquarters; he was likewise transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
