Eric Pleger
A North Arlington man has been charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, in the first homicide in the small Bergen County borough in more than two decades, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said.
Eric Pleger, 45, who lives at 28-K Garden Terrace, North Arlington, at the Riverview Gardens Apartment Complex, was additionally charged with third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Grewal and North Arlington Police Chief John Hearn said in a join statement released Friday, Jan. 29.
The prosecutor said that at approximately 12:15 p.m., Friday, the NAPD was contacted by a concerned party at the apartment complex and asked to check on the welfare of Luisa Pleger, Eric Pleger’s wife. When officers responded to the apartment, they encountered Mr. Pleger — and a check of the residence led to the discovery of Mrs. Pleger’s lifeless body, the BCPO said.
Mr. Pleger was immediately taken into custody for further investigation, the prosecutor said, and the residence was secured as a crime scene for the BCPO’s Major Crimes Unit to investigate, reports said.
A BCPO report said the murder weapon was a blunt object. Another published report said the weapon was a hammer.
“The medical examiner has determined that the cause of Luisa Pleger’s death was multiple blunt-force trauma to the head,” Grewal said. “The death has been ruled a homicide. A blunt object was used as a weapon during the killing and was recovered during a search of the scene.”
The ensuing investigation led to the charges being filed against Mr. Pleger, the BCPO said.
Mr. Pleger was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail, with no 10% cash option, the prosecutor said.
