Former Firefighter Drove Eight Hours to Kill Ex-Girlfriend’s Family After Breakup, Prosecutors Say

A former firefighter drove eight hours from Maine to New Jersey armed with two firearms, 15 large-capacity magazines and a bulletproof vest after his ex-girlfriend filed for a temporary restraining order against him, prosecutors told a court Friday.

m. on April 29 but found the intended victims had already fled and called police. He then drove his vehicle toward responding officers, who ordered him to stop and drop his weapon. When he refused, officers opened fire, striking him in the hand and pelvis.

He was taken to a hospital before being moved to the Ocean County Jail.

At the detention hearing, a judge called the allegations extremely concerning and extremely violent in nature, ordering the man held pending trial. Prosecutors read several alleged threats he made before arriving at the home. ” >"He was ready for war.

He armed himself with two firearms. He armed himself with a bulletproof vest. " — Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater, May 9 (The Independent) Prosecutors said his goal was not simply to hurt the victims but his children’s mother’s family so he could obtain full custody of his children.

The ex-girlfriend is also the mother of his two children.

The defense attorney argued the man was suffering a severe mental health crisis triggered by the breakup and longstanding bipolar disorder. She read from an affidavit in which he said: “I f*ing lost her, man. ” The attorney claimed the incident almost seemed like a death by suicide by cop, noting he wore body armor to force a kill shot to the head.

She said he had been receiving psychiatric treatment in Maine. The man spent 18 years working as a firefighter and EMT in Ocean County before moving to Maine in September 2025 for a job with Brinks Security. He lost that job in March and had been spiraling out of control afterward, according to testimony.