A Middlesex County man with a criminal history has been charged with first-degree murder and felony murder in a brutal, deadly attack prosecutors say was racially motivated.

Jamil S. Hubbard, 26, of Sayreville, faced the additional charges after a Monmouth County grand jury returned a seven-count indictment, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

His alleged victim, 55-year-old Jerry Wolkowitz died last October, five months after being beaten so badly that he had remained in a vegetative state ever since the attack, according to a GoFundMe campaign to help with his medical expenses.

Hubbard had attacked Wolkowitz from behind on May 1, 2018, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni. Wolkowitz was hit on the head and face before being dragged into the parking lot of an apartment building on Harding Road, Gramiccioni said.

Hubbard then drove over Wolkowitz with his own car while stealing it, police said. Wolkowitz's car was later recovered at Hubbard's home in Sayreville.

Police have said Hubbard, who is black, did not know Wolkowitz, who is white, prior to the attack.

Hubbard has remained in jail, pending trial since his arrest in May 2018.

Hubbard has served prison time before, including a one-year sentence stemming from a 2015 charge of endangering the welfare of a child, according to state Department of Corrections records.

​

More from New Jersey 101.5: