After shooting victim in the face, NJ man gets short prison term

🔴Two men accused of trying to kill victim

🔴Survivor won’t help police

🔴 Shooter takes plea deal

JACKSON — A 26-year-old old Monmouth County man has received a short prison term after admitting to shooting a victim in the face last summer in the township.

The brief sentence follows a plea deal reached this winter, once it was determined that the surviving victim would not cooperate with investigators.

Michael Vulpis, of Freehold Borough, was sentenced on Friday by Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill to five years each for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The terms run at the same time and Vulpis must serve just over four years, before being considered eligible for parole.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer voiced frustration in a written release on Friday, as Vulpis was initially charged and indicted for attempted murder.

He said that the victim “remains uncooperative with the prosecution’s efforts,” making the case extremely difficult to try.

“As such, the State reluctantly entered into this negotiated resolution — in the absence of victim cooperation - so that some level of justice might nevertheless be accomplished,” Billhimer said.

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Two men accused of trying to kill victim

Vulpis has been a known member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, NJ.com reported in August.
The same report cited rumors that the victim was a former club member who had been kicked out.

Law enforcement did not publicly confirm any case connection to what state investigators separately have called the "Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Gang."

Read More: NJ men indicted in murder plot connected to Pagans biker gang 

The incident unfolded overnight last summer.

On June 27 around 12:20 a.m., Jackson Township Police responded to the area of Larsen Road, where a 27-year-old man had been shot in the face.

He was rushed to a hospital, treated and ultimately released.

Investigators found that the victim and a female were sitting in a parked vehicle outside of a home, when Vulpis and another man drove up in a blue sedan.

Police said Vulpis and 24-year-old Noah Phelps, of Monroe Township, got out of the sedan and knocked on the parked car’s window.

As the victim exited his car he was shot and left on the street.

Vulpis has remained in custody since his arrest on July 3.

Phelps was arrested in August and also charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

A third defendant, 32-year-old Glenn Franzson, of Jackson Township, was charged with witness tampering for allegedly helping Vulpis try to cover up what happened.

As Franzson was being arrested, police allegedly found him with cocaine, methamphetamine and an illegal gun for which he also faced additional charges.

Charges against Phelps and Franzson remained pending as of May, Billhimer said.

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