A man was taken into custody after allegedly beating a person so badly outside the Exchange Place PATH station in Jersey City, the victim was left with a life-altering injury.
The Port Authority said 35-year-old Michael Anthony Perez was arrested on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly attacking someone outside the PATH station on Dec. 28 just after 6 p.m.
The alleged assault occurred outside the station on Jersey City property.
The victim, Matt Hobbs, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He suffered a slew of injuries, including broken bones, cuts, brain bleeds and more.
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Hobbs, a father of two who worked as a realtor for a firm in Jersey City, faces a long recovery, with one eye left permanently damaged. He was recovering in the home of his ex-wife, Vanessa Hobbs, on Friday.
"We don’t know what the end result of his vision will be, but they have said it will not be the vision he had on December 27. So pray, positive vibes — whatever you believe, we’re taking anything and everything," said Vanessa Hobbs.
She said it was a homeless man who helped lead police to making the arrest.
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"It was a homeless person that made a difference, they would’ve never caught him. [The suspect] went on an elevator, took the elevator down to the PATH, got on the PATH and was going to leave," Vanessa Hobbs said. "But the witness identified him so perfectly that when the police got on the train, there was no doubt to who he was."
Perez, of Staten Island, was taken into custody and transferred to the Hudson County Correctional Facility. Vanessa Hobbs, trained as a nurse and working in healthcare, said holding him behind bars is not enough.
"In my perspective, there’s a big mental health crisis going on and we’re cycling these people into jail, which is not the right place for them to be," she said. "We have to get them off the streets that’s not helping society and putting in jail isn’t helping the situation either."
A crowdfunding page raised more than $40,000 to help pay for Hobbs' medical bills — contributions Vanessa Hobbs called "humbling" and "honoring."
"I don’t really have words I can articulate. I just think everyone 1,000 times over, it’s made a difference. It’s a bright light...It takes a village," said said.
