Belleville Man Stabbed in Strip Club Melee

A Belleville man was stabbed and critically injured in a Bergen County go-go bar brawl early Monday morning, law enforcement officials said.

Police said the early-morning fight escalated from handheld weapons to one of the men deliberately running over people with his car.

Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said the fight outside South Hackensack strip club Twins Plus Lounge resulted in five people injured, three critically. 

Charges from the incident include attempted murder.

Police from South Hackensack and surrounding towns responded to a report of a bar fight at Twins Plus Lounge at about 1:45 a.m. Monday. Officers found six people outside the bar when they arrived. Five ambulances were called to the scene and took five of the six people involved to area hospitals, police said. 

Anthony Pate, 37, of Belleville, was stabbed in the torso during the altercation, the prosecutor's office said.

According to police, Ernest Brodie, 19, of Harrison, Jesus Colon, 21, of Lyndhurst and Pate got into an argument inside the bar with three Garfield men, Benjamin Venegas, 27, Raphael Carrion, 28, and Lukasz Dziewiatkowski, 32.

The fight spilled into the street, where Carrion was allegedly bludgeoned in the head with a hammer and Pate was stabbed in the torso, the prosecutor's office said.

After Pate was stabbed, Brodie entered his vehicle and intentionally drove into Dziewiatkowski on Saddle River Avenue before turning around, returning to South Main Street, speeding up and intentionally striking Venegas with the vehicle, the prosecutor's office said.

Police said Lucasz broke several bones and was treated and released from Hackensack University Medical Center. Venegas sustained severe head trauma and remains at HUMC in critical condition.

Pate was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center where he is in critical but stable condition. Carrion remains at HUMC in critical condition with multiple skull fractures. Colon was treated and released from HUMC after being treated for cuts on his face and leg.

Police charged Brodie with two counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to run over the two men with his car. A judge set his bail at $500,000. Colon was charged with aggravated assault and simple assault. His bail was set at $100,000.