TOTTENVILLE — A retired NYPD detective who held a grudge against a former employer was arrested Friday after he fired shots into the window of an excavator, a law enforcement source said.
Philip Pietrunti, 48, has been arrested three times this year over his squabble with the contractor, who was not identified by the source.
On June 2 at 8 p.m. he fired several shots into the window of the excavator parked at 100 Ellis St., causing $2,068 worth of damages, prosecutors said.
Pietrunti's first attack on the contractor was on Feb. 6, when he went to the lot and drilled holes in the tires of two trucks, prosecutors said. He was charged with criminal mischief.
Then on Feb. 19, Pietrunti sent a text to somebody from the contractor saying, "I recommend you drop the charges, otherwise a lot of s--t is coming your way," according to court documents.
When he was arrested, Pietrunti said to officers, "What's the problem with texting? I didn't know it was illegal to text," according to court documents.
He was charged with tampering with a witness for that arrest.
On Friday, officers arrested Pietrunti for walking through the backyard of a private address that neighbors the contractor's yard and shooting the excavator.
Pietrunti had to forfeit his gun because of the prior arrests and was found with an unlicensed handgun that appears to belong to his father, the source said. He was also found with a forged carry handgun license and a duplicate NYPD detective shield, prosecutors said.
He worked as a NYPD Emergency Service Unit detective for nearly 20 years, the source said.
For his latest arrest, Pietrunti was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal contempt, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and unlawful use of police uniform or emblem, according to the District Attorney's office.
His bail was set at $10,000 cash, $15,000 bond and he's due back in court on Wednesday, according to online court records.
Pietrunti's lawyer did not immediately respond to request for comment.
