Middletown BOE Member Charged With Gun Crimes Was Headed To Argue With Another Person, Police Say

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown school board member Joe Fitzgerald was headed to another person's house to engage in an altercation with that person on the night he was arrested, allege Middletown Police.

He brought with him three weapons: A handgun, a spring projectile gun and a stun gun in the shape of brass knuckles, with a Taser component, said police. He could not provide registration paperwork for the handgun, said police.

This was all revealed in an affidavit of Fitzgerald's arrest, released Monday by the Monmouth County Prosecutor.

As Patch reported earlier, Fitzgerald, 47, remains behind bars in the Monmouth County jail. He's been held there since his arrest eight days ago, and he will not have his first court hearing until this Wednesday.

Last Monday, Middletown Police received a 911 call that Fitzgerald was headed to someone else's home to engage in an altercation, according to the affidavit. That person has not been revealed. The caller told 911 that Fitzgerald carries firearms in his vehicle.

At around 5 p.m. that evening, Middletown Police located his car and pulled it over. Police questioned Fitzgerald and he admitted to possessing a firearm. He also consented to allow police to search his vehicle.

During a search of the car, Fitzgerald was found to have three weapons: A handgun, specifically a Ruger LCP .380, which police say he did not have a permit for. He was also found in possession of a spring gun and an impact stun gun, which was shaped as brass knuckles with a Taser element.

If found guilty, Fitzgerald could face time in prison for these gun charges. There is body-camera footage of Fitzgerald's arrest.

From the affidavit, here are the three weapons Middletown Police say they found in his car, and the six criminal charges filed against him that are associated with them:

• An unregistered firearm, specifically a Ruger LCP .380 caliber, without a permit to carry, a second-degree crime.
• An unregistered firearm (the Ruger handgun) to use unlawfully against another person, a second-degree crime.
• A spring gun capable of firing a projectile smaller than 3/8 inch, capable of causing injury to a person, a third-degree crime.
• A spring gun capable of firing a projectile smaller than 3/8 inch, capable of causing injury to a person, a third-degree crime.
• An impact stun gun shaped as brass knuckles with a Taser component, a third-degree crime.
• He was also charged with having the stun gun under circumstances not appropriate for lawful use, a fourth-degree crime.

Fitzgerald is a former U.S. Marine and a married father, with children in the Middletown school district. He lives in the Navesink section of Middletown. This was his first term on the Middletown school board and he's been on the board for the past three years; he was first elected to the school board in 2022. (Board members are elected for three-year terms in Middletown.)

His seat is up for re-election this November and he publicly said on his Facebook page that he intends to seek re-election this fall.

First report: Middletown School Board Member Joe Fitzgerald Arrested On Illegal Gun Charges (July 1)

Middletown School Board Member Fitzgerald Will Have First Court Hearing Wednesday (July 7)