Bucco Bill Increasing Penalties for Assaults on Seniors and People with Disabilities Advances

TRENTON — Legislation sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco that would increase criminal penalties for assaults against seniors and people with disabilities has advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill, S-271, would upgrade certain assaults when the victim is a person with a disability or a senior citizen age 60 or older. Under the measure, a person who causes bodily injury to one of these victims would be charged with aggravated assault, a third-degree crime, and face a mandatory minimum prison term of three years. If the victim suffers significant or serious bodily injury, the offense would rise to a second-degree crime.  

“Our seniors and residents with disabilities deserve to feel safe in their communities,” Bucco said. “When someone deliberately causes harm to a person who may be less able to defend themselves, the punishment should reflect the seriousness of that offense. This bill ensures that those who commit these acts will be prosecuted and when convicted will serve time in jail.”  

The legislation is co-sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner, who said the bill is intended to strengthen protections for vulnerable residents and ensure the justice system treats these crimes with appropriate seriousness.  

According to legislative sponsors, the bill was prompted in part by violent attacks involving elderly and disabled victims, including the assault of a Trenton man with an intellectual disability who was left permanently injured, as well as attacks on elderly victims during robberies and home invasions.  

S-271 was pre-filed for the 2026 legislative session and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 13, 2026. The committee advanced the measure on June 11, 2026.