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Police Make Arrest In Violent Franklin Township Assault

SOMERSET, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the violent assault of a New Jersey teenager who was attacked inside her own home.

The suspect, who has been identified as Winston Wilson, Jr., is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon, CBS 2's Christine Sloan reported.

He is accused of attacking an 18-year-old woman inside her Franklin Township home around 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

Investigators said Wilson beat, slashed and stabbed the victim inside her bedroom and then allegedly bludgeoned her with an exercise weight, Sloan reported.

The victim managed to make her way out of the home and to a neighbor's house to get help, investigators said. She remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Sources said the victim, whose name is not being released, had become friends with the suspect, who fled in one of the family's cars after the attack, Sloan reported.

The break in the case came when authorities recovered the vehicle, a 2009 four-door Mazda 6, early Monday morning in Edison, prosecutors said.

The crime has stunned neighbors and friends.

"What can you do, you feel so helpless," said Valerie Reed, who identified herself as the victim's godmother. "She is a sweet girl so I don't know why this would have happened to her out of the clear blue."

The victim's family was out of town at the time of the incident.

Wilson is charged with attempted murder, robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a handgun.

Detectives have not released a motive, but Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said the incident was isolated and the victim was an intended target.

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