Bill increasing penalties for assaults on seniors, people with disabilities advances in Senate committee

TRENTON, N.J. — Legislation that would increase criminal penalties for assaults committed against senior citizens and people with disabilities has advanced through the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco, would upgrade the offense of assault when the victim is a person with a disability or a senior citizen age 60 or older.

Under the legislation, a person who causes bodily injury to one of those victims would be guilty of a third-degree crime and subject to a mandatory three-year prison sentence.

“Our seniors and residents with disabilities deserve to feel safe in their communities,” said Sen. Bucco. “When someone deliberately causes harm to a person who may be less able to defend themselves, the punishment should reflect the seriousness of that offense. This bill ensures that those who commit these acts will be prosecuted and when convicted will serve time in jail.”

According to Bucco, the legislation was inspired in part by several violent attacks involving elderly and disabled victims, including the assault of a Trenton man with an intellectual disability who suffered permanent injuries, as well as attacks on elderly victims during robberies and home invasions.

The bill now advances for further consideration in the legislative process.