A former Middletown Township Police Department Sergeant has been sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for his role in helping a man remove illegal ghost-gun parts from a Millstone vape shop while using his position as a law enforcement officer to interfere with the investigation, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office announced today.
During a hearing last Friday in Monmouth County Superior Court, 45-year-old David Ringkamp, previously of Union Beach, was sentenced on a second-degree charge of Conspiracy to Commit Official Misconduct. Ringkamp previously pleaded guilty to the charge in March 2026.
The investigation began in December 2021, when New York State Police conducting surveillance at a gun show in Pennsylvania observed 35-year-old Nicholas D’Ambrosio of Millstone purchasing several kits used to manufacture “ghost guns” — untraceable firearms assembled from individual parts, which are illegal in New Jersey.
Investigators followed D’Ambrosio to his vape shop, JR Vapors, in Millstone, where they observed Ringkamp and his former wife, 33-year-old Amanda Ringkamp, also known as Amanda Belfiore, arrive at the business.
Police observed D’Ambrosio conceal the firearm parts inside Ringkamp’s vehicle. When police stopped the vehicle, Ringkamp identified himself as a Middletown police sergeant.
The investigation determined that Ringkamp had agreed to assist D’Ambrosio in removing the illegal firearm parts from the vape shop after D’Ambrosio realized police were monitoring him.
A subsequent search of Ringkamp’s vehicle uncovered the ghost-gun kits, cocaine and dozens of methamphetamine pills. A search of JR Vapors uncovered more than 25 pounds of marijuana and marijuana edibles, a fully assembled ghost gun and evidence that D’Ambrosio was illegally selling marijuana from the business.
A search of Ringkamp’s home several days later also uncovered additional illegal narcotics, including cocaine and anabolic steroids.
Investigators later determined that Ringkamp contacted the New Jersey State Police after D’Ambrosio told him that police were monitoring him. Ringkamp identified himself as a police officer and lied in an attempt to obtain information about the investigation. He also deleted text messages in an attempt to hinder the investigation into himself and D’Ambrosio.
Ringkamp was additionally charged with using internal law enforcement databases to conduct searches on D’Ambrosio and other individuals dozens of times over a three-year period without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
D’Ambrosio was arrested again in February 2024 and charged with Manufacturing Ghost Gun Parts on a 3D Printer and drug offenses. He was sentenced to eight years in state prison in August 2024 after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including second-degree Manufacturing a Ghost Gun, third-degree Possession of Ghost Gun Parts, and drug offenses.
