AG: Suspect, 18, charged with attempted murder in attack on man he thought was gay

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. - An 18-year-old man from Maryland has been charged with attempted murder and bias intimidation after New Jersey authorities allege that he beat and choked a man he suspected of being gay earlier this month.

Jose Tobias Carranza Serrano, also known as Kevin Lopez, was arrested on June 23 and has been charged with attempted homicide, bias intimidation, robbery, and aggravated assault.

Authorities say during the early morning hours of June 22, Carranza Serrano attacked the victim near the south end of a lake in North Hudson Park in North Bergen.

According to investigators, Carranza Serrano allegedly wanted to kill the victim, a stranger he had just met, because he suspected the victim was gay.

Carranza Serrano is accused of punching and kicking the victim in the face, causing multiple fractures and knocking out several of the victim's teeth. During the attack, authorities say he also attempted to strangle the victim before taking a smart phone and $8 cash from him.

The victim was later found unconscious near a path around the lake by a passer by shortly before 5 a.m. that morning.

"This defendant is charged with attempting to kill a complete stranger because he thought the man was gay," said Attorney General Grewal. "The victim was beaten and choked so badly that he was unconscious for several hours before a passerby found him and called for help. Whether this type of hate-fueled violence is directed against the LGBTQ+ community or other groups, it is terribly destructive to society and we must push back against it in every way possible. That, of course, includes aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who commit such crimes. I commend the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and other collaborating law enforcement agencies for the investigation that led to this arrest."

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