Jackson, NJ man pleads guilty to tossing man off balcony at Desert Palm Inn in Seaside Park, NJ
A Jackson man who quarreled with a Seaside Park resident and then threw him off a balcony at the Desert Palm Inn has pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault, according to a statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer on Wednesday.
Seaside Park Police learned through their investigation that Steven Adams, 23, and Chad Atwood, 42, were involved in an altercation in the parking lot of the Desert Palm Inn on November 15, 2021, and then took things upstairs to the second-floor balcony.
Adams then charged at Atwood up there and ended up pushing him over the balcony railing and causing him to fall to the ground below at the Inn.
Police found Atwood lying on the pavement when they arrived around 7:00 pm that night after getting a call about an injured man who had fallen from the balcony.
Atwood was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of serious injuries.
For his role in the altercation, Adams was arrested and brought to the Ocean County Jail where he remains today.
He has since pled guilty to Aggravated Assault and Prosecutor Billhimer said that at the time of sentencing on April 8, 2022, the State will be seeking a term of five years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act.
Prosecutor Billhimer said that Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr is handling the case on behalf of the State.