Defendant gets five years for bar fight stabbing in Hazlet
A Sayreville man received a 5-year prison sentence for stabbing another patron outside a bar in Hazlet last Christmas. According to the Asbury Park Press article, the Defendant stabbed a Keyport man outside of Legends Bar and Grill the day after Christmas last year after a heated argument inside the bar spilled outside into the parking lot. As the Keyport man was smoking a cigarette outside the bar, the Defendant pulled a knife to the victim's neck before stabbing him twice in the lower back. The Defendant fled the scene with another man but not before they attacked another patron who tried to take a picture of their license plate. The Defendant was not apprehended for three months following the incident when police found him at his girlfriend's apartment in Old Bridge. State Superior Court Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr. sentenced the Defendant to a five-year prison term and the Defendant must serve 85% of this prison sentence based on the No Early Release Act.
This is a very lenient sentence as far as I am concerned. This Defendant could have easily received ten years or more in prison based on his actions. His defense attorney negotiated a very favorable plea deal with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
