A New Jersey father was arrested after police say he aggressively confronted two boys who he believed beat up his 11-year-old son in an argument over candy on a Halloween hayride.
Darius Pokoj allegedly stormed into one of the boys' homes on Oakley Way in Wayne on Halloween night and confronted two eighth-grade boys inside, according to police.
The boy's parents weren't home at the time, and Pokoj broke two glass objects and allegedly pushed one of the boys, police said. When the boys ran out of the house screaming, an adult neighbor next door confronted Pokoj, and Pokoj allegedly tried to punch him.
The neighbor punched him back in self-defense, police said, leaving bloody scrapes and bruises.
Witness William Ormsby said, "Why would someone come into your house and break stuff and threaten your kids? They should put him in jail."
Pokoj could not be reached Tuesday, but his neighbors, who did not want to be identified, said his 11-year-old son had been bullied repeatedly by the older boys. They said the father snapped after his son came home bruised and bleeding after the dispute over the Halloween candy at a neighborhood Halloween party.
Wayne Police Detective Captain Mark McGrath said, "Whatever happened earlier, you can't take issues into your own hands and go into someone else's house. He should have called the police and we would have responded."
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Police believe Pokoj was drunk, and they charged him with burglary, criminal mischief and simple assault. Attorney information was not immediately available.
-- Jen Maxfield contributed to this report.
