Crime & Safety
National Park Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Baseball Bat Assault
The blow may have permanently disabled a man who Brendan M. Prosser accused of addicting his mother to cocaine. Prosser was a juvenile at the time of the attack.
A National Park man who broke a metal baseball bat over the head of a 52-year-old man who was sleeping in his home now faces seven years in New Jersey state prison.
Brandon M. Prosser was sentenced just two days after his 22nd birthday for the 2009 assault, which may have caused permanent brain damage, according to a statement from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office (GCPO).
In that same statement the GCPO reported that "Prosser blamed the victim for getting his mother addicted to cocaine," claiming his assault was "the only way to keep the victim away from his mother."
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Superior Court Judge Kevin Smith said that "unless Prosser manages his mental health, 'specifically his rage, equally or more serious crimes may be in his future',” according to the GCPO.
Prosser, who the GCPO said has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has survived suicide attempts, must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole.
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