16-Year-Old Boy Charged With Manslaughter in Head Punch That Killed Teen

A 16-year-old New Jersey boy faces reckless manslaughter charges for allegedly punching a 17-year-old boy in the head, killing him.

Police responded to a 911 call on Orchard Drive in Hillsborough Township Saturday afternoon and found Jared Colon with a head injury. He was airlifted to the hospital and died two days later.

Prosecutors say the fatal head injury was caused by a punch, allegedly from the 16-year-old defendant, after the two got into an argument over dirt-biking while at Colon's house. The 16-year-old punched Colon once near his chin, according to authorities.

The 16-year-old, who lives in Hillsborough Township, is being held at a juvenile detention center.

Friends remembered Colon as a funny teen who loved being outdoors and enjoyed fishing, dirt-biking and riding ATVs with his friends. But they also cautioned against placing too much blame on the younger teen.

"I would say it was more of a freak accident, and that was clearly not the boy's intentions," said Sarah Critelli, a former neighbor of Colon.

Sarah Depinto, a graduate of Hillsborough High School, where the boys were students, said. "A lot of people play fight, and they don't mean to hurt anyone at all."