Vineland Man Pleads Guilty in 2022 Atlantic City Shooting, Faces Prison

Ricardo Ferrera fired shots on a February evening in Atlantic City, wounded two men, and fled. More than four years later, the 32-year-old Vineland resident pleaded guilty to the crime and now faces up to five years in state prison.

Ferrera entered guilty pleas to second-degree aggravated assault and fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm. Under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, he would be required to serve at least 85 percent of any prison term, which calculates to a minimum of four years and three months on a five-year sentence. He also faces a concurrent 18-month term with no parole eligibility. Sentencing is scheduled for April 20 before the Atlantic County court. Assistant Prosecutor Erin Rush represented the State.

The shooting unfolded at 6:13 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2022, when a ShotSpotter alert detected seven gunshots near the 2500 block of Pacific Avenue. Atlantic City Police Department officers arrived to find two men had been shot in the first block of South Florida Avenue. Both victims, ages 33 and 25, were transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's City Campus. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

An investigation determined Ferrera fired the shots and fled the scene. He was arrested November 7 of last year and has remained jailed since.