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Man Accused Of Violently Attacking Girlfriend In Jersey City Now Charged With Attempted Murder

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police have filed upgraded charges against a man accused of beating his ex-girlfriend and pushing her out of a third-floor window in Jersey City with her baby in her arms.

Frederico Bruno, 19, was charged Monday with 17 counts, including attempted murder and child abuse. He initially had been charged with aggravated assault after being captured Friday night, several hours after the attack occurred.

Bruno let himself into the woman's apartment and attacked her and another woman when they got home early Friday, authorities said. He repeatedly stabbed both women and then pushed his ex-girlfriend into an air conditioner, causing her and her 3-month-old child to go through a window and fall three stories, authorities said.

The woman landed on top of her child, and both were seriously injured.

Bruno then climbed down the apartment's fire escape, authorities said, and started beating the woman again, this time using a table he found in the backyard. He later was found hiding in a refrigerator in a vacant apartment in Belleville, about a 45-minute drive away, and was arrested.

Bruno was being held Monday and couldn't be reached for comment. He hadn't been arraigned, and it was unclear if he had an attorney. There was no listed home telephone number for him.

The woman, her child and her friend remained hospitalized Monday, police spokesman Lt. Edgar Martinez said. However, he said, the friend was expected to be discharged by Tuesday morning.

Martinez said the baby remained in extremely critical condition, while the baby's mother was in a medically induced coma in stable but critical condition.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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