newjerseynewsroom.com

‘Ronnie' taken in for outstanding warrants

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

MTV's reality program "Jersey Shore" has added another arrest to its growing list.

Seaside Heights police say 24-year-old Ronald "Ronnie" Ortiz-Magro, of the Bronx, was taken into custody around noon Sunday for outstanding warrants from several New Jersey communities.

According to NJ.com, Ortiz-Magro was arrested today on outstanding warrants from two western New Jersey towns: Union Township, Hunterdon County, and Greenwich Township, in Warren County, according to Seaside Heights police.

"Mr. Ortiz was processed and later released after satisfying the conditions of these warrants,'' said Det. Supervisor Stephen Korman in the news release.

According to the Asbury Park Press, Robert J. Stelzle of the New Jersey State Police which serves Union Township did not have any information as to what the outstanding warrant was about, citing the closure of court on the weekend.

The arrest comes about two weeks after fellow cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was arrested on the Seaside Heights beach and charged with disorderly conduct.

The Associated Press reports that Ortiz-Magro was also arrested in September 2009 by Seaside Heights officers after a brawl on the boardwalk.

According to accesshollywood.com, following the altercation, Ortiz-Magro was arrested for aggravated assault for striking a man with a closed fist.

Ortiz-Magro said he was notified by mail that the charges were dismissed, but said he spent a few hours in jail, had a mug shot taken and paid $600 in bail.

"I definitely felt out of place," Ronnie said of his time in jail. "It's definitely a place I never want to go back to again. Definitely a lesson learned."

Apparently not all that well.

The MTV show has been a controversial pop-culture touchstone since its premiere last year, especially in New Jersey. Seaside Heights officials have said the show provides an economic boost to the community — and the cast and crew have cooperated with local authorities. But the show's depictions of Italian-Americans has drawn the ire of such groups as UNICO, which asked MTV to cancel its highest-rated show since 2002.