An off-duty Jersey City police officer remained in critical condition at the end of last week after being attacked by two men whom he asked to stop lighting fireworks on the Fourth of July, police said.
Police said that they had arrived on the scene and actually witnessed the most powerful blow delivered by one of the men Wednesday.
According to police, Police Officer Dominick Infantes, 29, a seven-year veteran of the police department, was celebrating the holiday at a friend’s house on 129 Williams St. Wednesday. According to acting Police Director Peter Behrens, next door at 127 Williams St., a group of people was lighting firecrackers in the backyard. Police believe that one of the firecrackers came close to hitting a child at the police officer’s party around 9 p.m.
Brian Belka, a guest at the same barbecue as the officer, walked next door to request that the people refrain from using fireworks, Behrens said. Two men began to attack Belka with four-foot lead pipes, police said. Upon seeing this, Officer Infantes told someone to call the police department, Behrens said, while he attempted to stop the two suspects.
Infantes “identified himself as a police officer and tried to use conflict-resolution skills to calm the men down,” Mayor Glenn Cunningham said at a press conference held Thursday.
Both Belka and Officer Infantes ended up getting hit, police said.
According to Behrens, the lead pipes actually had the name of one of the suspects written on them.
The police received a call about the incident at 9:14 p.m., dispatched a police car at 9:15 p.m., and arrived at 9:18 p.m., according to a police report.
Police said that they arrived on the scene in time to see one suspect deliver the blow that has left Infantes in critical condition ever since. Infantes remained unconscious at Jersey Medical Center at the end of last week.
Belka was treated and released with lacerations.
There was little that could have been done to avoid the situation based on the speed that the police arrived, Mayor Glenn Cunningham said.
“The officers could have used lethal force at that point,” Cunningham said, “but chose restraint.”
They kept going
But the presence of two armed police officers did little to stop the suspects, according to police. Patrolman Frank Scarpa was hit with the lead pipe as the suspect pulled it back to deliver another blow to Infantes, Behrens said. Refusing to cease the assault, one of the suspects continued to kick Infantes as he was being led away, according to Behrens.
Two suspects have been apprehended, and bail has been set at $2 million.
The two suspects, Benjamin Gavina, 42, and Alfredo Gavina, 40, are believed to brothers. The police have yet to find any records on them because they allegedly have a number of aliases, Behrens said.
The Gavinas were charged with three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of resisting arrest, and three counts of illegal use of a weapon.
“Officer Infantes epitomizes the character of the police officer that the community of Jersey City respects,” the mayor said Thursday. “He is loved and respected by his colleagues.”
Officer Infantes was married two months ago and currently resides in North Bergen. However, he was born and raised in Jersey City, growing up on 109 Williams St., according to Behrens.
He has one brother, Eric, who is in the process of applying to become a police officer.
Infantes’ family, along with Police Chaplain Kevin Carter, remained at his bedside all night after he was taken to the hospital, police said.
“The hospital has been very good,” Carter said Thursday. He added, “The family was eventually encouraged to go home and rest.”