Tattooed Gunman Charged With Shooting Jackson Victim In Face In Tag-Team Assault: Prosecutor

Michael Vulpis, 26, was arrested at his home in Freehold on Wednesday, July 3, in connection with the June 27 incident in Jackson Township, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

The 27-year-old victim and a female were sitting in a parked car outside of a home on Larsen Road when a blue sedan then parked in front of the vehicle, blocking it in, Billhimer said.

Vulpis and another man got out of the blue sedan, approached the vehicle, and knocked on the window. As the victim was getting out of the car, one of the assailants began to strike him. During the assault, Vulpis shot the victim in the face, the prosecutor said. The assailants then fled the area.

The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of his injuries, where he he was treated and released.

Meanwhile, an investigation identified Vulpis as the gunman before his arrest in Freehold. Vulpis was charged with Attempted Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and being a Certain Person Not to Possess a Weapon or Ammunition.

He was lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Emergency Response Team, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Jackson Township Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Freehold Township Police Department, and Freehold Borough Police Department assisted in the investigation.

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