An area man has been arrested and charged in connection with an incident in which he allegedly fired a handgun outside his girlfriend’s home early Sunday morning, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Monday.

Pietro Ventricelli, 44, of Howell Township, was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (firearm) and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

The case background …

At about 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning Jan. 15, Howell Township police responded to a call for shots fired from a home on Carrie Drive. The investigation revealed that three juvenile friends of the homeowner’s son were sitting in his vehicle in front of the house awaiting the arrival of a rideshare service.

Upon arrival, the three juveniles got out of the vehicle, inadvertently setting off the vehicle’s alarm system. Ventricelli, the homeowner’s boyfriend, came outside and began firing at the rideshare vehicle, later identified as a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, striking it three times. The driver was able to leave without any injuries to anyone within the vehicle.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Brian Migliorisi at 800-533-7443 or Howell Township Police Department Detective Ryan Jackson at 732-938-4575.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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