The Old Bridge man charged in connection with the killing of this mother is being held on $500,000 bail
NEW BRUNSWICK -- An Old Bridge man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder in the slaying of his 61-year-old mother over Thanksgiving weekend.
At an arraignment on Thursday at the Middlesex County Courthouse, the attorney for 30-year-old Frank Polera entered a plea of not guilty on his client's behalf.
On Nov. 26, police were called to a home on Kirschman Drive shortly after 8:45 p.m. where officers found Patricia Polera dead, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor Office. The mother and son lived in the house together.
Assistant Prosecutor Scott LaMountain, who represented the state, said during Thursday's proceeding that Frank Polera had called police to report that his mother had fallen out of bed.
Frank Polera was arrested and charged the following day after an autopsy had shown his mother had died from "asphyxiation by compression," police said.
LaMountain went over some of the details from the night of the incident.
He said despite numerous attempts by police on the phone to walk Frank Polera through CPR, he "was not interested" and seemed "more concerned about taking care of the dogs."
He added that when responders arrived at the home, the door was locked. He said they were left outside for so long, they eventually contacted headquarters to make sure they had the correct address.
LaMountain requested for Frank Polera's bail to be kept at $500,000, even though he said he had no "identifiable criminal history." He noted, however, that in 2008, Polera was involved in a "roadside incident where he chased down a Volvo and kicked the vehicle, causing $500 worth of damage."
The bail was maintained by Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas, who presided over the arraignment.
Polera's attorney, Vernon Estreicher, said his client was still waiting to be assessed by a mental health professional.
Rivas said he would make sure that was completed before January.
The next hearing was scheduled for Jan. 5.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.