⚖️🚨 MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP MAN SENTENCED TO 6 YEARS FOR SHOOTING AT BICYCLIST 🚨
Anthony M. Zigarelli of Manchester Township received a six-year prison sentence for shooting at a bicyclist in May 2024. The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and weapons charges, and he must serve at least 85% of his term.
📍 MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A 22-year-old Manchester Township man has been sentenced to six years in state prison for his role in a 2024 shooting that targeted a bicyclist in Ocean County, prosecutors announced.
Anthony M. Zigarelli, 22, pleaded guilty June 1 to aggravated assault and being a certain person prohibited from possessing a weapon. Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced Zigarelli Friday.
The aggravated assault sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), requiring Zigarelli to serve at least 85% of the six-year sentence before becoming eligible for parole consideration. He also received a five-year sentence with five years of parole ineligibility on the weapons charge. The sentences will run concurrently.
🚲 WHAT HAPPENED
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on May 14, 2024, near Camino Medio and Camino Verde.
Authorities said a man riding a bicycle passed two people standing outside a vehicle. Prosecutors identified them as Zigarelli and Anthony G. Ventrice, 19, of Toms River.
Police allege Ventrice pulled out a handgun and fired toward the bicyclist. The two then got into a vehicle and drove past the bicyclist, with prosecutors saying Zigarelli fired additional shots.
🔫 The bicyclist was not struck and was not injured. Multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots prompted the subsequent investigation.
👨⚖️ SECOND DEFENDANT'S CASE
Ventrice, who was a juvenile at the time of the shooting, was initially charged with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
He was arrested May 22, 2024, and later waived into adult court in May 2025.
Ventrice pleaded guilty June 1 to aggravated assault before Judge Ryan. His sentencing is still pending.
Zigarelli was charged May 28, 2024, arrested the following day and has remained in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
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