Former Garfield Sergeant Charged in Paintball Shootings in 5 Towns

A former Garfield police sergeant has been arrested in connection with a series of paintball shootings targeting vehicles in five Bergen County towns, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anthony M. Pizzi, 30, was charged on Friday with third-degree aggravated assault, nine counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, nine counts of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and nine counts of criminal mischief. He was taken to the Bergen County Jail following his arrest on Route 46 in South Hackensack.

The Incidents

Between Sept. 18 and the preceding Thursday, paintballs were fired at parked or moving cars in Fair Lawn, Garfield, Hasbrouck Heights, Lodi, and Wallington. Prosecutors said nine separate incidents were documented across the towns.

In one case, a paintball struck a female driver in the head after entering the open window of her moving car in Fair Lawn. The woman was not seriously injured. Additional vehicles were struck in Hasbrouck Heights on Sept. 19 and on Wednesday, as well as in Lodi, Garfield, and Wallington on Thursday.

Investigation and Prior Record

Police departments in the five towns investigated the shootings. The Prosecutor’s Office joined the probe, reviewed surveillance video and victim statements, and identified Pizzi as the suspect in all nine incidents.

Pizzi had previously been arrested in June in connection with a witness tampering case. The current charges stem solely from the paintball incidents, prosecutors said.