64-year-old New Jersey man who operates a Trump RV was brutally beaten

A 64-year-old man from Edison was hospitalized after he was struck with a sledgehammer during an attack at Crown Tire on Route 36 in the Port Monmouth section on Friday, according to police.

Michael Gonzales, 36, of Philadelphia, was charged with attempted murder. He was detained by witnesses at the scene and taken into police custody upon their arrival, said Middletown Deputy Police Chief Paul J. Bailey.

The victim suffered “significant injuries to his head” and was taken by helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Bailey said.

An investigation has determined that Gonzales struck the victim in the head multiple times with a hand-held sledgehammer, Bailey said.