A family argument over the victim’s 10-year-old son leaving wet pants on a banister escalated into a fatal shooting in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. On February 12, 2025, 41-year-old Joseph Falciani was shot inside a residence on East Cresse Avenue and died at the scene despite life-saving efforts. Police were called about 3:45 p.m. for a gunshot victim.

Witnesses said the dispute moved to the second floor after which the stepfather, 63-year-old Carmine Neri, allegedly went into his office and locked the door. Falciani reportedly kicked the office door in and was found at the top of the staircase with a gunshot wound to the chest. Officers located Neri in the living room with a handgun in his back pocket and took him into custody. Investigators recovered a spent shell casing and a projectile, and the office door showed signs of forcible entry.

Neri was arrested and charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; he has pleaded self-defense while prosecutors say Falciani was unarmed. Did anyone in Wildwood Crest see or hear anything that afternoon that could shed more light on what happened?