Jersey City man charged with knockout outside Bayonne bar, causing brain injury

A Jersey City man who left a man unconscious with a broken jaw 18 months ago has struck again, knocking out a man and causing a brain hemorrhage, Bayonne police said.
Erick Vargas, 30, was arrested Oct. 28, and charged aggravated assault after assaulting a man outside a bar at East 32nd and Avenue E, Bayonne Detective Sgt. William Dundas said.
The two were involved in a brief verbal and shoving altercation inside the bar and upon the bar closing, the two met outside.
Police say Vargas punched the victim, causing his head to strike the ground and cause a ganglia hemorrhage on the left side of his brain.
Vargas was also processed on an outstanding warrant for an aggravated assault that occurred March 17, 2023, at a bar at 19th Street and Kennedy Boulevard in Bayonne, Dundas said.
During that incident, Vargas and another man assaulted a victim who was attempting to purchase cigarettes. Witnesses told police Vargas denied the victim access to the retail portion of the bar and asked the victim “Do you have a problem?”
The victim only spoke Spanish, so he did not understand Vargas. When the situation escalated, Vargas punched the victim in the face, which knocked him unconscious and broke his jaw, Dundas said.
Vargas was processed on both and transported to the Hudson County jail. The victim in the Oct. 28 assault has been released from the hospital, with lasting effects from his injury, police said.