Mother, 2 children dead after stabbing in Jersey City; suspect charged with murder

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Woman, 2 children dead after stabbing in Jersey City, suspect in custody
Toni Yates has the latest on the deadly stabbing investigation in Jersey City.

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A man has been charged with murder in connection to a stabbing in Jersey City that left a woman and her two children dead -- a crime that is being investigated as an act of domestic violence.

When Jersey City Police arrived around 1 a.m. Thursday, they found a broken window to a basement apartment and found three victims with stab wounds.

four victims inside, unconscious.

Luisa Urbano, 31, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her two children, 9-year-old Juan Martin Urbano and 5-year-old Diana Ramirez, were taken to Jersey City Medical Center where they were pronounced dead.

Cellphone video shows a second wave of police officers rush to the basement apartment where the woman and two children were found.

"I saw blood on the floor, and I saw them carry out a girl, like unconscious, like from the lower level," said Jersey City John Paredes.

"There was some screaming going on because that's when I guess there was the discovery of the kids and mom," said Jersey City resident Jay Perine.

A fourth person, later identified as the suspect, 31-year-old Napoleon Romero-Anduray, was also found in the apartment with injuries. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where he is being treated
for his wounds.

He has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, in addition to possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Authorities were inside the apartment at Hutton Street and Liberty Avenue before dawn searching for evidence to help them determine what happened.

A sheet was hanging from the top of the window frame of the building as police investigated.

It's unclear of the relationship between the victims or the suspect.

The man that police took into custody is described by neighbors as a family member, but not the father of either child.

"He was out of it... he wanted to hurt himself, and once you get to that point your mental faculties are gone. There is nothing you can say to him," Perine said.

A couple of people also described hearing prior issues within the family, in at least one of the units where some of the members live.

"You can hear a lot of stuff happening through the doors. The walls are skinny... but to be honest, I'm surprised about that," said Jersey City resident Paul Bonilla.

Neighbors are remembering the children and say their deaths have hit them especially hard.

"You would see the children. One girl, one boy. They used to play here," Bonilla said.

Chaplains and social workers have been dispatched to the neighborhood to work with family and neighbors, the mayor said.

"Last night, our community was devastated by the loss of a woman and two small children in a senseless act of domestic violence, said State Sen. Angela McKnight. "My heart breaks for the victims, their families and friends, and the people of Jersey City, for which this horrifying tragedy will, beyond a doubt, carry lifelong grief."

She went on to thank authorities and social workers for their support services to help the community "heal and learn from this devastating act."

"There is no place for this kind of brutality in our society, and I will continue to be a voice for all those affected by domestic abuse so that we can end this vicious and painful cycle," McKnight said.

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