Father Charged With Assault For Shaking 3-Month-Old Son

AWoodside man has been charged with the depraved assault of his 3-month-old son for allegedly shaking the child and causing him to sustain life-threatening injuries including bleeding on the brain. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said, "This case is a grim reminder of the fact that never, under any circumstances, should a baby be shaken. Three seconds of shaking is all it takes to cause irreparable injury or even death. In an infant, the shaking motion is comparable to whiplash in a car accident or when shaken in anger the force is equivalent to the impact of a fall from a second-story window."

Jerome J. Wiza, 26, of 72-30 51st Rd. in Woodside, was arraigned on Friday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Robert Raciti on charges of assault in the first degree and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Raciti set bail at $500,000 bond/$250,000 cash and ordered a return date of March 10. Wiza faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

According to the charges, Wiza called 911 on the afternoon of February 17, 2006, and reported that his infant son, Nikkolas, had fallen and was not breathing. EMS arrived shortly thereafter and transported the child by ambulance to St. John's Hospital. Two days later, the child was transferred to Long Island Jewish Hospital, where he was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome when tests revealed that the child had suffered acute subdural hemorrhages to the brain, a fractured pelvis, eight fractured ribs, a fracture to the thigh bone and adrenal gland bleeding. According to hospital physicians, the findings are consistent with the baby having suffered at least two episodes of shaking.

It is further alleged that Wiza admitted to having an anger problem and further, that on February 17, 2006, he shook the baby when the infant started crying. When he realized that his son's lips were blue and that he was not breathing, it was then that he called 911. He also allegedly admitted to having previously shaken his baby son when frustrated.

It should be noted that criminal charges are merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.