Charges Filed Against Man Who Cops Say Punched Rutgers Player

MARGATE, NJ — A Ventnor man has been charged for his involvement in a fight that injured a Rutgers University football player, Margate City police said Wednesday.

Alexander A. Denafo, 26, of Ventnor City was charged with one count of simple assault after a Fourth of July game of football on a beach in Margate escalated into a physical altercation.

The Margate City Fire Department’s ambulance responded to the beach block of Essex Avenue on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. for a report of a man who had fallen and suffered a split lip, police said.

The man was identified as Carnell Davis, a wide receiver for the Rutgers University football team.

Due to the “serious nature” of Davis’ injuries, police launched an investigation into the incident.

Police found that Davis and Denafo were playing football on the beach when they got into a verbal altercation, according to witness accounts. Both men left the beach to continue the altercation which developed into a physical fight in the beach block of Essex Avenue.

A cell phone video of the incident revealed that Denafo struck Davis in the face which caused him to fall to the ground and strike his head on the pavement, police said.

Davis was taken to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries and released on Tuesday.

Denafo will make his first court appearance at the Margate City Municipal Court on July 26.

Detective Erin Borrelli is still investigating the case.

The Rutgers University athletics department confirmed that Carnell was involved in the fight Wednesday after a video of the incident went viral on social media. Viewer discretion advised; the video is violent: https://twitter.com/10kHendo/s...

"Our main concern is Carnell's health and well-being. He is home with his family and continues to make progress in his recovery," said the Rutgers athletics department in a statement released to Patch and other media. "We look forward to getting him back on campus soon."

According to his Rutgers football bio on the team roster, Davis is a 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound freshman wide receiver who is slated to begin his football career with the Scarlet Knights this fall.

He is a native of the Garden State who attended Absegami High School in Galloway and St. Augustine in Richland before he moved to Florida.

He played football for Eau Gallie High School in Florida as a senior in 2020.

Davis was named a first team All-Star on offense in 2019 by The Press of Atlantic City, first team West Jersey Football League by The Star-Ledger, a consensus three-star recruit and regarded as the No. 7 player in Florida by ESPN, according to his Rutgers bio.

With reporting from Carly Baldwin.

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