19°
The 24-year-old victim flagged down Officer Vincent Dorio in the area of Valley Brook Avenue and Grant Avenue and said he'd been struck in the face while riding along Ridge Road, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
A man sitting in a commercial-style van had fired the pellets, he said.
Dorio broadcast a description of the van, which he and Sgt. Charles Giangeruso saw the driver park in front of a house on a residential street seconds later, the lieutenant said.
Passenger Damian Polanco, 19, of Newark, admitted firing the "gel blaster" and was arrested after police found the plastic handgun and a package of water-based pellets in the vehicle, Auteri said.
The victim was released after being evaluated by an EMS team. The driver was free to go without charges.
Polanco, meanwhile was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct and illegal weapons possession, then was released pending an Aug. 23 court date.
Gel blasters, which are used in paintball-type games, are similar to airsoft guns, although not as powerful.
They're not necessarily lethal or even dangerous -- unless, of course, someone is struck in the eye, ear, nose or throat.
Most of the injuries reported from gel blasters have involved children who weren't wearing goggles or other protective eye gear.
A very real danger, authorities say, is in someone in law enforcement mistaking one for a genuine gun. That's why New Jersey is one of the states that prohibits the sale of toy guns and imitation firearms that look real.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hackensack and receive free news updates.
