JACKSON – A Freehold Borough resident has been sentenced to state prison for conspiring to attack and shoot a man, authorities said.
Michael Vulpis, 26, was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon in connection with an incident that occurred in Jackson Township on June 27, 2024.
This sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning that Vulpis will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
Additionally, Vulpis was sentenced to five years in State prison – with a 42-month period of parole ineligibility – relative to his previously entered guilty plea to Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in connection with the same incident. The sentences will run concurrently. Vulpis pled guilty to the charges before Judge Rahill on February 3, 2025.
On June 27, 2024 at about 12:20 a.m., police responded to the area of Larsen Road regarding a man suffering a gunshot wound. Officers found a 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his face and the victim was subsequently was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment. He was treated and later released, officials said.
According to authorities, the victim and a woman were sitting in a parked car outside of a home on Larsen Road. At that time, a blue sedan parked in front of their vehicle, blocking them. Two men exited the blue sedan and knocked on the car’s window. As the victim was exiting the vehicle, one of the assailants began to strike him. During the assault, one of the assailants shot the victim in the face. The assailants then fled the area.
It was later revealed that Vulpis was the individual who shot the victim.
On July 3, 2024, Vulpis was taken into custody at his residence without incident, and charged with Attempted Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and being a Certain Person Not to Possess a Weapon. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since his arrest.
Authorities discovered that Noah Phelps, 24, of Monroe Township, was the second assailant involved in the attack on the victim, and that Phelps and Vulpis conspired to attack him.
On August 15, 2024, Phelps was charged with Attempted Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder; a warrant for his arrest was issued, and his name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database. The following day, Phelps surrendered himself to the Freehold Township Police Department. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
During the course of the investigation, detectives determined that Glenn Franzson, 32, of Jackson, and Vulpis conspired to contact the victim of the attempted murder in an effort to have the victim give a false statement to law enforcement in reference to the investigation.
As a result, Franzson was charged with Witness Tampering and Conspiracy to Commit Witness Tampering.
On August 15, 2024, detectives searched Franzson’s home and seized a quantity of methamphetamine and a Polymer 80 handgun (ghost gun) with a high-capacity magazine. Franzson was taken into custody at the residence without incident.
During a search incident to his arrest, Franzson was also found to be in possession of a quantity of cocaine. As a consequence, Franzson was additionally charged with Possession of a Weapon Without a Serial Number, Possession of a High-Capacity Ammunition Magazine, Possession of Cocaine, and Possession of Methamphetamine. Franzson was transported to the Ocean County Jail and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
The charges against Phelps and Franzson remain pending.
“The State is required to prove each and every element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt – the highest standard of proof recognized under the law. Where, as in this case, the victim of a crime remains uncooperative with the prosecution’s efforts, it makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the State to satisfy its legal burden of proof,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated. “As such, the State reluctantly entered into this negotiated resolution – in the absence of victim cooperation – so that some level of justice might nevertheless be accomplished.”
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledged the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill who is handling the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs/Intelligence/Homeland Security Squad, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Emergency Response Team, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Jackson Township Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Freehold Township Police Department, and Freehold Borough Police Department, for their combined and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation, leading to Vulpis’ guilty pleas – and now his state prison sentence.
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