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TRENTON
– The Galloway Township man who allegedly
threw his infant daughter from the Driscoll
Bridge on the Garden State Parkway in February
was indicted today by a state grand jury
on charges of murder, kidnapping, attempted
murder and other crimes, Attorney General
Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director
Stephen J. Taylor announced.
According
to Director Taylor, the Division of Criminal
Justice obtained a six-count state grand
jury indictment charging Shamsiddin Abdur-Raheem,
22, of Galloway Township, with murder (1st
degree), kidnapping (1st degree), endangering
the welfare of a child (2nd degree), two
counts of aggravated assault (2nd degree),
and attempted murder (1st degree).
“This
indictment of Mr. Abdur-Raheem for the alleged
murder of his infant daughter represents
important progress in our quest for justice
for Baby Zara,” said Attorney General
Dow. “This is a heartbreaking case
of domestic violence.”
“Investigators
diligently pursued the evidence in this
case, which corroborated initial reports
that the defendant threw the baby from the
bridge,” said Director Taylor. “That
evidence has been presented to a state grand
jury, resulting in these very serious charges
for which Mr. Abdur-Raheem now faces trial.”
It
is alleged that Abdur-Raheem killed his
3-month-old daughter, Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem,
by causing her to fall from the Driscoll
Bridge in Woodbridge Township into the Raritan
River on the afternoon of Feb. 16, 2010.
He allegedly pushed or threw her from the
front passenger window of his Dodge Caravan,
which was parked on the southbound shoulder
of the Garden State Parkway. The baby fell
an estimated 140 feet from the bridge.
Abdur-Raheem
is charged with attempted murder and aggravated
assault for allegedly attacking the baby’s
maternal grandmother and striking her with
his vehicle while abducting the infant from
the grandmother’s apartment in East
Orange before the baby was thrown from the
bridge.
The
infant’s mother had custody of the
child and obtained a restraining order against
Abdur-Raheem that same day. The infant was
in the care of the 60-year-old grandmother
when, at approximately 4 p.m., Abdur-Raheem
allegedly entered the grandmother’s
apartment. As the grandmother attempted
to hold onto the baby, Abdur-Raheem allegedly
struck the grandmother in the head and face,
choked her, and banged her head against
the floor.
Abdur-Raheem
allegedly took the infant girl, but the
grandmother followed him outside and got
in front of his vehicle in an attempt to
stop him. Abdur-Raheem allegedly struck
the grandmother with the Dodge Caravan and
drove away with the baby. The attempted
murder charge relates to the alleged attack
on the grandmother inside the apartment
as well as the alleged act of striking her
with the vehicle.
Abdur-Raheem
was arrested that night at a family member’s
home in Winslow Township after the family
member called police shortly after 8 p.m.
to report that Abdur-Raheem was at the house.
Police received information at that time
that Abdur-Raheem allegedly threw the infant
from the bridge, and the State Police immediately
commenced an intensive search.
Before
his arrest, Abdur-Raheem had gone to see
his imam, his Islamic religious leader,
in Atlantic City, and the imam drove him
to the home of the relative who called police.
The
infant’s body remained missing until
April 24, when it was found by people walking
on the south bank of the Raritan River,
just east of the Route 35 Victory Bridge.
DNA tests confirmed that it was Zara Malani-Lin
Abdur-Raheem.
Shamsiddin
Abdur-Raheem is being held in the Essex
County Jail with bail set at $2 million.
Deputy
Attorney General Andrew C. Fried presented
the case to the state grand jury for the
Division of Criminal Justice. He will be
prosecuting the case with Deputy Attorney
General Paul Salvatoriello.
The
investigation was conducted by the New Jersey
State Police, Division of Criminal Justice,
East Orange Police Department, Winslow Township
Police Department, Essex County Prosecutor’s
Office and Middlesex County Prosecutor’s
Office. Detectives Harry McDermott and Timothy
P. Coyle are assigned to the case for the
New Jersey State Police. Detective Kevin
Coleman is the lead detective for the East
Orange Police Department on this case.
The
first-degree murder charge carries a sentence
of 30 years to life in state prison. The
kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence
of 30 years in state prison, and the attempted
murder charge carries a maximum sentence
of 20 years in state prison. Second-degree
charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years
in state prison.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
The
indictment was handed up to Superior Court
Judge Pedro J. Jimenenz Jr. in Mercer County,
who assigned the case to Middlesex County.
A copy of the indictment is posted with
this release at www.njpublicsafety.com.
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