NJ actor facing jail time for prop gun to appear in court next week

He's finally getting his day in court. Carlo Belarrio, the New Jersey actor who was arrested for using a prop gun while filming a movie in Middlesex County, is scheduled to appear before a judge on March 22.

"I'm anxious that I'm finally geting my day in court but it's still a little nerve-wracking," Bellario told NJ 101.5 Sunday evening. "I'm relieved, but it's good and bad. Hopefully it will be a quick and painless resolution but who knows what they're gonna do?"

Bellario will appear before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas at 1:30 p.m. Following his arrest, the Toms River man was arraigned in Middlesex County. Next week's appearance, he said, will be "a pre-indictment conference, so the prosecution is expected to offer a plea before" before the case gets sent to trial.

Bellario said while he's eager to put the ordeal behind him and will remain "humble" before the court, he's not going down without a fight.

"I'm not gonna accept a plea deal unless it involves no jail time. If I have to go down as a martyr for my cause I'll do that," Bellario told NJ 101.5.

The incident leading to his arrest happened on Nov. 16, 2015 when the actor showed up on the set of an indie movie — “Vendetta Games” — in response to a casting call he had seen in a Facebook group. He was tasked with playing a drug dealer’s bodyguard, and the scene was being shot in a residential neighborhood in Woodbridge.

Bellario said he was handed a what he was told was a prop gun. He climbed into the passenger seat of a vehicle, with two cameramen in the backseat and another actor driving, and they took off to film the staged shootout. No actual shots were fired, he said.

After they finished filming the scene, the actors returned to the main staging area. Bellario said he tucked the prop gun into the waistband of his pants and chatted with other members of the cast and crew. That's when Woodbridge police showed up. Apparently, he said, nervous neighbors, believing an actual shootout was taking place in their quiet, residential neighborhood, contacted authorities.

"I'm not gonna accept a plea deal unless it involves no jail time. If I have to go down as a martyr for my cause I'll do that," Bellario told NJ 101.5.

Bellario said he tried to explain that the gun — which a Woodbridge police report identified as an Airsoft pistol — was just a prop, but police still took him into custody.

The police report states Belaario — the only person arrested that day — did not have a permit to carry the Airsoft gun, and was also wearing the pistol in a holster. Both are in violation of NJ state statutes.

Bellario then spent four days in Middlesex County Jail until his family could bail him out. Since that time, he said the emotional and financial strain on him and his family have been pretty substantial. A few weeks ago, Bellario spent time in an emergency room after suffering from severe headaches and chest pain, which he said ended up being stress-related.

"The stress leading up to this and after the situation has been very detrimental to my health. Hopefully this (court case) doesn't involve a long drawn out process," he said. "Anxiety is really consuming me."

To help raise enough funds to hire an attorney and pay off debts related to the case, Bellario started a GoFundMe page. He's received numerous donations from supporters including New Jersey Assemblymen Jon Bramnick and Declan O'Scanlon, but he's still a long way from settling his debts and any future fines that may be involved.

If convicted of possession of a weapon, Bellario could face up to five years in prison.

The actor has been working to publicize his situation and says his reason for doing so is twofold. He said he's hoping to continue raising money to cover the mounting legal expenses and he wants to make sure this never happens to another actor in the Garden State.

“As actors we all want to work and get ourselves exposure but we also need to hold the industry to higher standard as well,” he told NJ 101.5 last month. “I want to make sure that other actors don’t have this happen to them.”

On Monday, Bellario is scheduled to discuss his upcoming hearing with Deminski and Doyle. Click here to listen live.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor for news at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.