Ex-Marine, Somerset County Man Pleads Not Guilty in Church Shooting

Joseph Galli and his cousin, Brian Neary, pleaded not guilty this week to an eight-count indictment alleging the duo used an assault rifle to spray some 40 bullets into a vacant, historic church in Bergen County in 2014.

Galli, 22, of Somerville, remains jailed on $100,000 bail and was discharged from the Marines upon his arrest in January of this year, northjersey.com reported. The indictment alleges Galli and Neary used an MK-47 to shoot into the building, which caused $2,000 in damage and, among other things, broke a stained glass window dating back to 1875 at the Ridgewood church.

Galli is officially charged with causing more than $2,000 damage to the church, possession of an assault rifle without a license, possession and manufacture of a sawed-off shotgun, and possession of two other assault rifles in Somerville.