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The off-duty North Bergen police officer charged with biting a man's thigh and causing serious injury during an early morning fight in North Hudson Park has been placed on desk duty, officials said.

Officer Alex J. Guzman, 34, of Wood-Ridge, was placed on modified duty after being charged with aggravated assault and making terroristic threats in connection with the April 8 incident just after midnight in James J. Braddock/North Hudson Park, North Bergen spokesman Phil Swibinski said this afternoon.

Guzman will remain on modified duty pending further investigation of the incident by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, Swibinski said.

The other person allegedly involved -- Joffre Alcantara, 35, of Cliffside Park -- was charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses related to a knife, officials said.

Guzman assaulted Alcantara by "biting the victim's inner right thigh through blue jeans, causing serious bodily injury to Mr. Alcantara," the criminal complaint says.

The officer threatened to kill Alcantara and put him in "imminent fear of death" by calling him four times within a 10-minute time span, saying, "I'm going to kill you. I will end this now," the complaint says.

Alcantara used a knife "to cause bodily injury to the victim Mr. Alex Guzman by slashing him behind his ear," says the complaint.

That night Guzman was taken to Palisade Medical Center where he was treated and released, officials said. The warrant for his arrest was signed Tuesday and he made his first court appearance on the charges on Wednesday in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City.

Guzman was released into his own custody.