Troopers: Enraged Man Fired Gun In Home

Law enforcement descended upon the 200 block of Central Avenue in Langhorne Manor early Thursday for the report of an enraged man armed with a gun.

Troopers arrived around 1:40 a.m. and learned that Ronald C. Bartnikowski’s wife called 9-1-1 and said her husband was in a state of rage and armed in their home. He had been arrested Wednesday night in New Jersey for suspected DUI and she had picked him up from the police station hours earlier, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Bartnikowski’s wife said she saw her husband go into the garage, load a handgun, and head into the basement. She went to a separate floor of the home and called 9-1-1, state police said.

The enraged man’s wife was removed from the home safely once troopers arrived. She warned them she had heard a gunshot fired from the basement, state police said.

A trooper used his patrol vehicle’s public address system to hail Bartnikowski.

After about 20 minutes, Bartnikowski, 56, surrendered to law enforcement without incident, state police said.

Following the 56 year old’s arrest, Bartnikowski’s wife told authorities her husband was enraged, shouting obscenities, and striking the interior of her vehicle with his fists after she picked him up from the police station in New Jersey. She further stated she hid his keys and cell phone after hearing him say he wanted to go back across the river and confront the arresting officer in New Jersey, state police said.

During her interview, Bartnikowski’s wife said her husband was moving room to room before grabbing the gun from the garage and heading to the basement. She said she heard a gunshot from the basement and smelled gunpowder a short time later, state police said.

Troopers and Middletown officers checked the Central Avenue home and found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol by a bar in the basement. Two spent shell casings were discovered in a basement utility room, state police said.

Bartnikowski was interviewed by troopers at the state police barracks in Bensalem. He said he was exceptionally upset because he was arrested in the same area of New Jersey years before his Wednesday night arrest. While he said he was yelling and cursing, he denied discharging a gun, state police said.

Bartnikowski went on to state the noise in the basement was the result of him throwing a plastic water bottle at a wall-mounted beer tray, causing it to fall, state police said.

Troopers reportedly did not find any indication wall-mounted beer trays in the basement were disturbed, noting there was some dust around their rims.

Bartnikowski war arraigned at 9:15 a.m. Thursday by District Judge Daniel Baranoski on charges of discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure and reckless endangerment. Bail was set at 10 percent of $25,000 and was posted by his wife, according to court records.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.