Man breaks 71-year-old mother’s skull in Manchester, NJ attack

🚨 Ocean County man gets 10 years for brutally attacking his 71-year-old mother.

🏥 Victim suffered skull fracture, broken ribs, and concussion but survived.

📞 Quick-thinking neighbor’s 911 call likely saved her life, judge says.

MANCHESTER — An Ocean County man who viciously beat his mother with a cane has been sentenced to prison.

On Thursday, Joseph Cavallaro was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. He will have to serve 8.5 years before he is eligible for parole. The 45-year-old Manchester man pleaded guilty to attempted murder in January, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Violent family dispute escalates into brutal assault

Investigators said that on June 27, 2025, Cavallaro brutally attacked his mother at her Manchester mobile home. Detectives said it started as an argument that escalated to violence. The victim said in a letter to the court that Cavallaro attacked her because he thought she had contacted child protective services regarding his children, Jersey Shore Online reports.

In Superior Court in Ocean County, Cavallaro admitted that he was trying to kill his mom. Jersey Shore Online reports that a neighbor called 911 after they heard Cavallaro's mother crying out for help. Judge Guy Ryan said the victim may have died if the neighbor hadn't acted.

READ MORE: Salem nuclear plant has a vital gift for New Jersey

Life-saving response in Ocean County

Police found the 71-year-old woman around 12:15 p.m. at the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Community. She had been beaten unconscious with a metal cane, prosecutors said. The attack left her with a fractured skull, broken ribs, facial fractures, and a concussion.

Cavallaro's mother was hospitalized at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and survived. She was eventually discharged.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom