1FREEHOLD, NJ – A Howell man has been sentenced to 17 years in state prison for firing a handgun during a late-night incident outside his girlfriend’s home in 2023, authorities said Thursday.

Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley handed down the sentence Tuesday to 47-year-old Pietro A. Ventricelli.

Prosecutors said Ventricelli fired multiple rounds at a pickup truck parked outside the Carrie Drive home after mistaking the situation for a threat.

Late-night gunfire on Carrie Drive

The shooting occurred around 12:30 a.m. on January 15, 2023, when three juveniles visiting the homeowner’s son accidentally triggered a car alarm while exiting their vehicle to meet a rideshare service. Ventricelli, who was inside the home at the time, came outside and opened fire on the rides

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