Bridgeton Man Sentenced For Shooting A Gun At Three Teen Boys
Thursday, March 6, 2025, 9:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BRIDGETON, NJ.- Last Friday, a 45-year-old Bridgeton, New Jersey, man was sentenced to New Jersey State Prison for recklessly firing a firearm at three teenage boys at the Burlington Manor Apartments in March of 2024.
According to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, on Friday, February 28, 2025, Charles E. Ratliff, 45, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, appeared in Cumberland County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Cristen P. D’Arrigo to seven years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
Judge D’Arrigo ordered that the sentence be subject to a 42-month parole ineligibility.
The guilty plea and sentence stem from an incident that began on March 4, 2024, when members of the Bridgeton Police Department responded to a report of an assault with a firearm at the Burlington Manor Apartment Complex in the City of Bridgeton.
Upon arrival, Police Officers encountered the caller, who reported to Police Officers that the day before, on March 3, 2024, Ratliff shot a firearm in the direction of her 15-year-old son and two other teenage boys, who were under the age of eighteen.
Detectives Identify Ratliff As The Shooter
During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Bridgeton Police Department uncovered that prior to the shooting, there had been an altercation between the three teenage boys and Ratliff. During the altercation, Ratliff told the boys he would be back with a gun. A short time later, Ratliff returned with a gun and opened fire.
Surveillance video showed three teen boys walking behind the complex when they were approached by an adult male, who was later identified as Ratliff, who pulled out a small handgun from his hoodie pocket, pointing it in the direction of the three boys and firing four to five rounds at the teens. None of the young men were struck by gunfire.
After being identified, Ratliff was taken into custody and charged when he turned himself in at the Bridgeton Police Department.
