Ex-Girlfriend's New 'Lover' Charged In Bat, Pipe Attack

The lover of a Wyckoff woman charged with luring her ex-boyfriend to a schoolyard for a savage beating and robbery was arrested Friday for allegedly carrying out the pummeling, police said late Friday.

Daniel A. Chaupiz, 20, of Crescent Avenue, was arrested at his Wyckoff residence hours after at Lincoln School with a baseball bat and a pipe Thursday night.

Police claim Tocci, 19, of Wyckoff, asked her ex-boyfriend to drive around with her in a new Ford Fusion she recently purchased. They drove to Lincoln School at around 10:30 p.m. when Tocci reportedly suggested they go for a walk.

Chaupiz, according to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox, was waiting at the schoolyard with a baseball bat. He was joined by an accomplice who reportedly wielded a pipe, Fox said.

"The men beat him as Tocci allegedly watched," Fox said. "The men took his wallet and removed the cash, as well as his cell phone [which] they smashed. The victim was left bleeding on the ground, and the men got into Tocci's car and she drove them away."

The victim, bloodied and battered, walked to a nearby residence and was later taken to the hospital, suffering from head injuries that required stitches, Fox said.

Reached for comment Friday afternoon, Chaupiz denied any role in the alleged assault and robbery and said he was never at the scene.

Fox said the motive remains unclear at this point and the investigation remains open.

Tocci was arrested following a traffic stop on Franklin Avenue at 3 a.m. driving the blue Ford Fusion, Fox said. She was charged with robbery by force and was remanded to jail, unable to post $50,000 bail.

Chaupiz was subsequently arrested Friday by a sergeant conducting surveillance on his Crescent Ave. residence.

Police say a vehicle driven by a "known associate" of Chaupiz was pulled over and upon investigation, police say they found Chaupiz lying across the seat.

Chaupiz was charged with robbery, a first degree charge. He was remanded to Bergen County jail, unable to post $100,000 bail.

Police are familiar with Chaupiz. He was charged for obstruction of justice in March for an . Months earlier, he was charged with robbery for allegedly causing a ruckus in a Fair Lawn grocery store.

"The investigation is continuing to apprehend and prosecute one other person who was involved in the attack, and perhaps a third man," Fox said.

Joseph M. Gerace also contributed to this report.

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