The guy who punched-out Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi during filming for MTV's Jersey's Shore reality series has been identified and is paying the price for his poor decision.
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North Queens Community High School gym teacher Brad Ferro was arrested and charged with simple assault for punching the 21-year-old Jersey Shore cast member inside a Seaside Heights, NJ bar on August 19, the New York Daily News reported Friday.
The 23-year-old Ferro subsequently pled guilty to simple assault and was given a six-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay a $500 fine and take anger management classes, according to the Daily News.
In addition, Ferro was fired from his position at the Queens high school after video footage of the incident appeared on the Internet.
The altercation occurred when Ferro was drinking at the Beachcomber Bar and Grill While he had previously been told by bouncers to stop drinking, he allegedly downed Polizzi's drink, had a verbal altercation with her and punched her in the face -- causing her to fall out of her seat.
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"There was a small verbal confrontation between the two," Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman told the Daily News. "And with that, he just punched her in the face."
Polizzi sustained injuries inside her mouth but did not require hospitalization, the Daily News reported, adding she could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
"It's horrible, absolutely, and he feels the same way," Ferro's father Dan Ferro told the Daily News. "He doesn't understand how that happened. She was being very aggressive. That's who she is, apparently."
Polizzi wasn't the only one who Ferro's father blamed for the incident -- he also pointed the finger at MTV and the show's producers.
"A woman who works for them instigated my son into doing something very stupid," he told the Daily News. "When you get a bunch of people in a situation with alcohol and instigate, someone's going to do something stupid, and that's obviously what MTV wants."
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Ferro apologized to his students last week when clips of the assault were aired as a promo for the show.
"He told us he never wants to drink like that again because of what happened," 18-year-old Monique Martinez told the Daily News.
Fellow student Josh Wilson added Ferro was known to "have attitude problems."
"If it's not his way, it's nobody's way," he told the Daily News.
Jersey Shore premiered earlier this month and follows a group of young people -- who proudly call themselves "Guidos" -- as they live and work on the Garden State's shoreline.
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Even before The Real World-like reality series premiered, UNICO -- the country's largest Italian-American service organization -- claimed the show's content is offensive to Italian-Americans and added it should be pulled from the air.
MTV subsequently defended Jersey Shore, stating it "continues MTV's history of documenting various subcultures, rites of passage of young people, and the ways they self-identify."
In addition, Domino's Pizza decided against continuing to air its commercials during Jersey Shore following the debut.
The episode featuring Ferro's punch of Polizzi is scheduled to air during next week's episode.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio