Two Filipino nursing aides in New Jersey face charges for alleged patient assault

Dhenmark Francisco and Jovi Esperanza/Photos from Jersey Shore Online, courtesy of Ocean County Jail

Two Filipino nursing assistants have been accused of assaulting a patient at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation Facility in Berkeley Township, Ocean County in New Jersey.

Certified nursing assistants Jovi Esperanza, 31, of Beachwood and Dhenmark Francisco, 28, from Toms River are facing aggravated assault charges following an alleged incident of patient abuse at the rehabilitation facility.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the incident occurred on Oct. 14 around 11:45 a.m. and was reported to the Berkeley Township Police Department on Oct.15.

The victim, a 52-year-old male patient, was in critical but stable condition after the alleged assault. 

The Crystal Lake Rehabilitation Facility alerted the authorities, reporting the patient’s injuries, which prompted immediate investigation.

“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,” stated the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office press release.

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Filipino nursing assistants detained

Investigators identified Esperanza and Francisco as the two nursing aides involved in the incident. On Oct.15, Francisco was taken into custody straight from the facility and was transferred to Ocean County Jail, where he was held while awaiting a detention hearing.

On the same day, Esperanza surrendered at the Berkeley Township Police Headquarters and was booked into jail pending a detention hearing.

Esperanza and Franciscos are facing aggravated assault charges, according to Orange County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Berkeley Township Chief of Police Kevin Santucci, with detention hearings to follow.

Billhimer and Santucci acknowledged the Berkeley Township Police Department and its Detective Bureau for their “diligent efforts” during the investigation that led to the apprehension of the two Filipino nursing assistants.