Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

The relatives of a nearly 3-month-old baby girl were praying for her survival Monday after she was critically injured at the hands of her young father, Suffolk police and family said.

Joshua Cohen, 20, of Mastic, had just returned from a day's work on Sunday when police say he became irritated by his daughter's crying and knocked her off a bed onto the floor.

The child continued to whine -- to which Cohen responded by kicking and shaking her, causing skull fractures and internal bleeding, according to police and the girl's family.

"He's a monster to be heartless enough to do something like that to a two-month-old baby girl," the child's grandfather, Anthony Biondo, said outside Stony Brook University Medical Center, where the girl lay intubated and sedated.

He said his daughter, 16, was keeping a constant vigil over her baby. She was at work when the baby was hurt.

"She's predominately holding her own, but every once in a while she'll break down, especially when she sees the baby seize," Biondo said of his daughter, Alicia Biondo, of Mastic.

Cohen has been charged with three counts of first-degree assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He pleaded not guilty in First District Court, Central Islip, and was held on $500,000 or $1 million bond. He had not yet hired an attorney, and neither he nor his family could be reached for comment.

"It's a very sad situation," Police Deputy Insp. Robert Oswald said. "You have a very young infant child and kids cry and parents are stressed and it's just something that your heart goes out to the baby. There's nothing more you can really say about it."

Cohen and his teenage girlfriend had been dating for about a year, and quickly went from high school sweethearts to parents juggling work, school and raising a child.

Alicia Biondo, an aspiring pilot who is a chief master sergeant with the Civil Air Patrol, was finishing her sophomore year at Mastic High School when she gave birth.

On their respective MySpace pages, each parent posted numerous pictures of their little girl and affectionate notes.

"Everybody said you gotta give it up U can't keep that child it's just too tough," Alicia Biondo wrote on her page. "Well she cried and she prayed and she made up her mind. Said this beautiful life that's growing inside Needs a chance to have a hand in Gods plan. God don't make mistakes."

"My Love for you is stronger by the day and seeing you is the best i can ask for," Cohen wrote beside a photograph of his baby lying on her back.

Police said there was no evident history of child abuse between Cohen and the baby.


What a piece of crap.

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

I almost got sick when I heard this story on the news this moring!!

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

Absolutely disgusting. Sometimes I really can't get past the fact that we roam the earth with pieces of **** like this.

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

OMG!!!!! I hope he gets 25 yrs in jail!

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

That makes me sick to my stomach that someone could hurt an infant!

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

I will never understand how people can do these things to babies....sick fucks

Message edited 6/26/2007 9:55:05 AM.

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

This man makes me feel sick!

Re: Father, 20, charged with assaulting 3-month-old daughter

thats disgusting!