"Jersey Shore" star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro may be paying the price for a fight from the first season of the show that could have him locked up.
Oritz is being charged with one count of third-degree assault for a bar fight that knocked out Stephen Izzo on September 4, 2009 in Seaside Heights, where the New Jersey show takes place. He was indicted by a grand jury Thursday in Ocean County, according to court documents obtained by TMZ, and could be facing up to five years in prison.
"This comes as a complete shock to us, as far as we know, our attorneys have been in contact with the prosecutor's office and we are waiting to see the documents," a rep for Ortiz-Magro told TMZ.
The complaint, filed by the State of New Jersey, claims the Bronx-bred reality star "did purposefully or knowingly cause significant bodily injury to Stephen Izzo, by striking him in the face with a closed fist, causing him to lose consiousness."
According to Ortiz, Izzo had it coming.
"I really don't feel bad for the altercations that I did get into in Seaside because I'm really not a person who likes to fight," Magro told People magazine earlier this year, via the NY Post.
"He was just being a drunk jerk, saw the camera... [and] I think he chased us down like two blocks or something like that. At that point, you're like, 'What am I gonna do?'"
TMZ reported that it took so long for Ortiz to be charged because both sides attempted to reach a plea agreement, but couldn't. Izzo also has a lawsuit pending against Ronnie, MTV Networks, and the show's producers.
