Hoboken Man's Body Found on Fence Identified; Death Ruled Homicide

The death of a Hoboken man whose body was found slumped on a fence Tuesday evening outside a 3rd Street apartment building has been ruled a homicide by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, spokesman Gene Rubino told the Jersey Journal Wednesday.

Ralph Erick Santiago, 46, a former Garden Street resident whom an ambulance squad volunteer described as homeless, was found just before 6 p.m. with his neck broken and stuck between two fence spikes outside the Clock Tower Apartments on 3rd Street near Jefferson Street, Rubino said.

Authorities are awaiting results from the medical examiner, but Rubino told the Jersey Journal that they suspect Santiago was followed by multiple individuals and struck on the head from behind. The blow may have caused him to fall face-first between the fence posts, he said.

An investigation into Santiago's murder is ongoing, but officials do not currently have a motive, Rubino said.

Anyone with information about the case should call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office at (201)-915-1345.