Arrest made in Friday home invasion
City police report that Anthony Todd Paul Jr., 21, of Fredericton, charged with break, enter and assault in violent incident in which woman was attacked in her home as she awoke
Police have made an arrest in the investigation into an early-morning home invasion on Fredericton’s north side Friday that saw a woman attacked in her own home.
The Fredericton Police Force issued a news release Friday about a break, enter and assault earlier in the day.
“On Jan. 16, 2026, at approximately 6:45 a.m., members of the Fredericton Police Force patrol division responded to a report of a break and enter involving an assault on an adult female on Fredericton’s north side,” the release said.
In a followup release Sunday afternoon, the police force advised officers had identified and detained a suspect.
“Anthony Todd Paul Jr., 21, of Fredericton, was arrested and charged in court with one count of break enter while committing the offence of assault,” it said.
“He was held in custody, with his next court appearance scheduled for Monday.”
Given the usual protocols for weekend remand court appearances, it’s likely that Monday court appearance is for a bail hearing.
In an earlier Facebook post on the weekend, Destiny Paul, 28, identified herself as the victim of the alleged attack Friday.
“Someone broke into my house. He hid and waited for me to wake up,” she wrote on Facebook.
“Then he attacked me. I begged him at first because that’s what you do when you’re trying to stay alive.”
Destiny Paul wrote she then fought back against her attacker, biting and scratching him, and then dragging him out of her home by his hair.
She said she spoke out publicly about the incident because she wanted other women in Fredericton to be aware of the potential for such attacks.
“Lock your doors. Be alert,” she wrote.
“If you’ve survived something like this, don’t let anyone tell you how you should have reacted. Survival isn’t pretty. It’s violent. It’s instinct. And it’s fucking brave.”
The Fredericton Police Force had sought tips from the public Friday to identify the suspect, and in Sunday’s followup, it thanked the community for its assistance.
The Fredericton Independent can be reached at ftonindependent@gmail.com.