Anthony Ventrice, 19, of Toms River, was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for a May 2024 shooting in which a bicyclist was fired on in Toms River, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan handed down the sentence on Ventrice’s guilty plea to aggravated assault. The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning he must serve at least 85 percent of it before he can be considered for parole.
Judge Ryan also sentenced Ventrice to five years in state prison, with a 42-month period of parole ineligibility, on his guilty plea to possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. The two sentences will run concurrently. Ventrice pleaded guilty to both charges on June 1.
The shooting happened on May 14, 2024, at about 4:05 p.m., when Toms River police responded to the area of Camino Medio and Camino Verde after multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots. Investigators determined that a man was riding his bicycle through the area as Ventrice and Anthony Zigarelli, now 22, of Manchester, stood outside a vehicle. As the victim rode past, Ventrice pulled out a handgun and fired several shots in his direction. The two then got into the vehicle and drove past the victim, with Zigarelli firing additional shots. None of the shots hit the victim, who was not hurt.
Ventrice was a juvenile at the time and was charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses. He was taken into custody by Lakewood police on May 22, 2024, and held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center. The Juvenile Court waived its jurisdiction and his case was moved to adult court. He has been held in the Ocean County Jail since May 30, 2025.
Zigarelli, who pleaded guilty on June 1 to aggravated assault and being a certain person not to possess a weapon, was sentenced last month to six years in state prison, also subject to NERA.
Prosecutor Billhimer commended Assistant Prosecutor Emma Hurst, who handled the case, and also acknowledged the Toms River and Lakewood police departments and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit for their assistance.
