Gun Aimed at Girlfriend's Head Misfired, NJ Man Charged with Attempted Murder

After the misfire, the man allegedly told his girlfriend he'd have shot her if she ran away

A 21-year-old New Jersey man took his girlfriend to a wooded area, put a revolver to her head and pulled the trigger, but the weapon didn't fire, police said Friday.

Jason Driesse, of Lincoln Park, was arrested two days after the May 3 incident and charged with first-degree attempted murder, West Milford police said.

Driesse drove his girlfriend to a secluded area in West Milford known as the Long Pond Ironworks on the evening of May 3, investigators said. They walked along a trail into the woods until they came to a large rock where he asked her to sit.

Driesse allegedly handed a pencil and notebook to his girlfriend and instructed her to write down what he was about to say. She became upset and refused.

Driesse pulled some latex gloves out of his pocket, slipped them on and rested the barrel of a silver revolver against his girlfriend's head, police said. She pleaded for her life. Driesse pulled the trigger, investigators said.

The weapon didn't fire. Unable to fix his gun, Driesse and his girlfriend walked out of the woods.

During the ride back to his girlfriend's home, Driesse said that if she had run, he would have shot her in the back, according to investigators.

Two days later, Driesse was arrested at his home. In addition to first-degree attempted murder, he was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

Driesse was being held in lieu of $750,000 at the Passaic County Jail.

The West Milford Police Department said it had no information on whether Driesse has retained a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.

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