Nutley man arrested after Hillsdale attack left man paralyzed

A 19-year-old Nutley resident was arrested last week after he was one of three people who ambushed and dragged a man with a vehicle in Hillsdale, leaving him paralyzed and fighting for his life, according to court documents.

Brian Ortigoza was arrested on attempted murder and aggravated assault charges. He was charged Feb. 14 and remains in Bergen County Jail.

Police arrested Ortigoza after investigating the apparent attack. Police in Hillsdale responded to a 911 call at 9:56 p.m. Feb. 13 that a man was lying on the street on Catherine Court, according to an affidavit of probable cause. At the scene, police found a 24-year-old victim on the ground in a pool of suspected blood, according to the affidavit.

The victim, only identified as C.S. “was conscious at the time and told police that a man named Bryan was responsible for attacking him,” court documents state. “A local resident witness observed a silver BMW SUV heading toward Catherine Court with its headlights off, dragging a male from the driver’s side passenger door. The witness observed the SUV park at the end of Catherine Court, and moments later, the SUV sped away.”

The SUV was driven by a woman who had a male passenger, according to court documents. The witness told police he saw two men outside the SUV, heard banging sounds and one man say “that’s enough.”

The victim allowed police to search his phone, but they could not find any contacts listing Bryan, according to court documents.

“However, a SnapChat conversation from earlier in the evening showed an exchange between C.S. and the handle “Blazeonlypurp,” according to the court documents.

It's not known why the victim met the suspect in Hillsdale.

Messages left for the Hillsdale Police Department were not returned.

Police located the suspect, later identified as Ortigoza, at his home on Milton Avenue in Nutley, according to the court documents. On Feb. 14, at the Milton Avenue address, police said they located a silver 2010 BMW X3 SUV with damage to the driver’s side passenger door.

“Hillsdale PD and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office detectives surveilled the address and observed Ortigoza washing the BMW SUV,” according to the affidavit of probable cause. “They further observed the interior of the vehicle to be soaking wet and suspected blood.”

Police went back to the hospital, where the victim identified Ortigoza as the attacker, according to court documents.

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Charges could be upgraded because the victim's condition is "extremely critical," according to court documents. The victim, who was admitted into the intensive care unit at Hackensack University Medical Center, suffered severe head trauma, including a brain bleed, neck damage and numerous cuts and bruises.

"Medical condition is extremely critical and believe, if he survives, will be paralyzed," according to court documents.

Staff writer Jai Agnish contributed to this report.

Email: ortizk@northjersey.com