Father Arrested for Biting Infant Son in Face
A Tennessee father is in custody after allegedly biting his infant son on the cheek during a chaotic incident in Memphis. Police responded to an ambulance request around 1 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2026, and found 34-year-old Jerry Stark inside a restaurant, screaming and panicked.
Restaurant staff told officers that Stark ran into the business, lay down on the kitchen floor with his infant son, and claimed his family was trying to kill him. Officers spoke with Stark, who repeated the same assertion and said he needed help.
Witnesses at a Shell gas station reported that Stark had been there earlier, holding his son and asking for assistance. They said he then got into a red SUV and drove to another gas station to seek help. According to police, witnesses tried to take the infant from Stark because he was squeezing the baby, causing the child to turn blue.
At that point, Stark reportedly panicked and bit the infant on the right side of his cheek. Witnesses managed to pull the baby away from Stark and left the building, after which someone called the police.
Police later located the baby's mother, who stated that she and Stark were driving when he pushed her out of the moving vehicle and drove off in an unknown direction. Officers observed an injury on the right side of the infant's face. The baby was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition.
Stark was taken into custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, May 4, 2026. The specific charges he faces remain unclear at this time.
