By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
At approximately 6:48 a.m. on Monday, May 6, a College student was stabbed by his housemate in their off-campus home located on the unit block of Crescent Avenue, according to Ewing Police.
The victim, junior civil engineering major Ryan Maffia, sustained two non-life-threatening stab wounds – the first to his upper left arm and the second on the right side of his head, on his scalp. He was transported by ambulance to the Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was released at approximately 9:30 a.m. with his wounds treated.
“I was scared for my life,” Maffia said. “I thought I was going to die. I've never been this scared in my entire life.”
Upon arrival at Maffia’s residence, the police located the accused assailant, former College student and junior finance major Joseph Walsh Jr.
According to an official press release from Ewing Police, Walsh has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, terroristic threats, criminal mischief, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In an interview with The Signal, Maffia and his housemate, junior history and secondary education dual major Eric Struble, detailed the confrontation.
They explained that they have called the police multiple times this school year due to other incidents involving Walsh's harassment and drug abuse, although prior situations had never escalated as it had on Monday morning.
The residence is home to six housemates, five of whom are current College students, as Walsh took a voluntary leave of absence from school this semester, according to Maffia and Struble.
Maffia and Walsh were the only two in the house at the time of the incident. While Maffia was asleep in his room, Walsh allegedly broke into his room and attacked him with a two-pronged barbecue fork, without any prompt.
Maffia was able to flee the house and began knocking on his neighbors’ doors for help. A 911 call was made by a neighbor, who reported a male banging on their door for assistance.
Struble, who was on the College’s campus at the time of the incident, was informed of the situation involving his friend and housemate, Maffia, by a Ewing Police detective around 7 a.m. The detective requested Struble to return home to further discuss what happened with the police.
“I drove over from TCNJ and there was like, a SWAT team and 20 cop cars – they had our whole street blocked off,” Struble said.
Walsh has been turned over to Mercer County Department of Corrections Personnel, according to Ewing Police. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Ewing Police at 609-882-1313.
