N.J. woman arrested for allegedly stabbing 4-year-old girl multiple times

PASSAIC COUNTY, N.J. (TCN) -- A woman was taken into custody this week for allegedly stabbing and injuring a 4-year-old girl during a suspected family argument in August.

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office announced Mabel Campechano was arrested and charged Sept. 23 with one count each of attempted first-degree murder, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree endangering an injured victim, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon for the purported stabbing.

If convicted of attempted murder, she could face up to 20 years in state prison.

Campechano's arrest comes exactly one month after the incident. In the late afternoon of Aug. 23, Paterson Police Department officers responded to a home on East 24th Street and 10th Avenue regarding a child who had been stabbed. The 4-year-old victim was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. The suspect, however, fled the scene.

WABC-TV reports the child had surgery for a punctured lung and punctured liver, as well as an injured diaphragm. A local city councilman told WABC at the time that the suspect is the victim's aunt.

The prosecutor's office said Campechano is in custody at the Bergen County Jail.