HQ Plaza gunman in court: ‘You’re sentencing me to prison?’

Sheriff's Officers try to calm Andrew Pfitzenmayer after he is handcuffed at sentencing. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Sheriff's Officers try to calm Andrew Pfitzenmayer after he is handcuffed at sentencing. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Andrew Pfitzenmayer, center, confers with his lawyer, Frank Pisano, at sentencing. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Andrew Pfitzenmayer, center, confers with his lawyer, Frank Pisano, at sentencing. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

By Kevin Coughlin

Andrew Pfitzenmayer, described in court Monday as a “milquetoast” who has a “fixation with police,” broke down in tears as he was sentenced to state prison for carrying two loaded semi-automatic handguns into Morristown’s Headquarters Plaza in July.

“You’re sentencing me to prison? In normal language… why?” Pfitzenmayer, 27, asked Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto, who gave the Peapack-Gladstone man three years in jail, with eligibility for parole after one year, per a plea agreement with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Pfitzenmayer’s lawyer, Frank Pisano, described his client as a “milquetoast” and asked the judge to give him probation instead of prison. The attorney cited a clean record and a learning disability that he said compromised Pfitzenmayer’s ability to grasp that he had broken the law.

But gun ownership cannot be taken lightly, Ahto said.

Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto sentences Andrew Pfitzenmayer to prison for carrying handguns into Headquarters Plaza. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto sentences Andrew Pfitzenmayer to prison for carrying handguns into Headquarters Plaza. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“To me it’s basic, that if you want a handgun, or handguns, along with the right, is a responsibility. He should have contemplated, in my view, what his conduct would threaten. To indicate ‘I was ignorant’…is no excuse,” he said.

The judge added he had difficulty accepting Pfitzenmayer’s story: That he thought it was okay on the morning of July 29, 2015, to bring his two Glock pistols into HQ Plaza– a complex that includes a daycare center, offices, movies, restaurants and a hotel–because the weapons were unloaded and unholstered inside a backpack.

What if someone grabbed the backpack? Ahto said.

WATCH VIDEO OF THE SENTENCING

An appeal of the sentence is unlikely, according to Pisano, who said afterward that the judge had sent a strong message to gun owners in New Jersey.

Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Napurano argues against probation for HQ Plaza gunman. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Napurano argues against probation for HQ Plaza gunman. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“You must respect the laws in this state, or you will pay a heavy price,” said Pisano. “Andrew did not mean to hurt anyone… He’s paying a tough price. He’s a good kid who made a mistake. It’s a sad case, a tough case.”

The Morristown courtroom is a short walk from Headquarters Plaza, and from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, which is observing the third anniversary of the Newtown, CT, school massacre with a lawn display of t-shirts  bearing names of gun victims in New Jersey.

Pfitzenmayer is fortunate that his actions did not lead to a similarly tragic ending for himself, he was reminded in court.

“Thank goodness law enforcement did not overreact,” Judge Ahto said.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp praised security guards and law enforcement personnel for apprehending Pfitzenmayer swiftly and without incident at HQ Plaza.

“The security guards at HQ alerted Morristown police and the Secret Service,” Knapp said after the sentencing.

Andrew Pfitzenmayer, left, and his lawyer, Frank Pisano, at sentencing in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Andrew Pfitzenmayer, left, and his lawyer, Frank Pisano, at sentencing in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Pfitzenmayer had raised red flags inside Headquarters Plaza when he inquired about the location of the Secret Service office there, according to Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Napurano, who said Pfitzenmayer had a “fixation” with police and appeared to fantasize about being in law enforcement.

He was arrested wearing a bullet-proof vest, and his backpack contained illegal hollow-point bullets, a police baton, fake badge and handcuffs, according to authorities.  A charge relating to the ammunition was dropped; Pfitzenmayer pled guilty to one count of carrying a Glock handgun without a permit, a second-degree crime.

Pfitzenmayer told authorities that his ultimate destination was a Randolph shooting range. His girlfriend was heading to a meeting and dropped him off at HQ Plaza, where he intended to inquire about office space for a business, he told authorities.

The bullet-proof vest would be appropriate for the shooting range, where two people have been fatally shot in recent months, his lawyer maintained.

Investigators found no ties to organized crime or terrorist groups in Pfitzenmayer’s background. He obtained the weapons lawfully — the judge expressed some surprise about that, given Pfitzenmayer’s stated disability and its negative impact on his employment history–but he lacked a permit to carry them.

T-shirts outside Morristown's Church of the Redeemer bear names of New Jersey gun violence victims. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
T-shirts outside Morristown’s Church of the Redeemer bear names of New Jersey gun violence victims. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

The defendant, who lives with his mother, has described himself as the CEO of an event planning business and a volunteer fireman in Far Hills-Bedminster.

He could have faced a maximum of 10 years in jail and a $150,000 fine. The state’s Graves Act for gun offenses mandated a minimum of five years, with no parole eligibility for 42 months.

But a directive from the state Attorney General has told prosecutors to seek three years in cases such as this, Napurano told Judge Ahto.

Judges do have leeway to be more lenient in certain situations, Ahto said. But while expressing sympathy and admiration for Pfitzenmayer’s mother, the judge said he found no compelling reasons to deviate from the plea deal, which was endorsed by Assignment Judge Stuart Minkowitz.

A psychological evaluation had been added to Pfitzenmayer’s bail conditions after a public outcry led by a Morristown mothers group. Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty vowed to press for legislation requiring such reports in weapons incidents like this one.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS CASE

 

Sheriff's Officers try to calm Andrew Pfitzenmayer after he is handcuffed at sentencing. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Sheriff’s Officers try to calm Andrew Pfitzenmayer after he is handcuffed at sentencing. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

 

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. Good for Judge Ahto, Pfitzenmayer certainly seems to fit a mass shooter profile, hopefully there will be some mental health treatment in prison.

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