Who is Ernest Heinz? Sopranos actor indicted in road-rage shooting that blinded a mother of three

Ernest Heinz, an actor who appeared in The Sopranos, has recently been indicted on 31 charges after he was accused of shooting a woman in the face during a road rage argument.

According to a Facebook post dated September 12 by the Galloway Township Police Department, Heinz of Port Republic was arrested on September 11 "for the attempted homicide of Maritza Arias-Galva of Galloway Township, NJ."

The post by the police department further states that "Officers of the Galloway Township Police Department responded to a 911 call for a shooting," after Maritza Arias-Galva described as a "victim" "called 911 to report she had been shot in the face by a male subject, in another vehicle, who fled north onto Vera King Ferris Drive, on the campus of Stockton University."

They later determined that the "shooting was the result of an isolated road-rage incident."

⚠️ WARNING: This post contains descriptions of a violent road rage shooting and severe injury

A New Jersey man has been indicted on 31 felony counts after allegedly shooting a mother of three in the face during a violent road rage incident.

Ernest Heinz, 47, a former actor… pic.twitter.com/Jx3Mrh8G99

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Heinz, who is set to be arraigned on January 30, 2026, is an actor and producer whose credits include J. Edgar (2011), The Sopranos and work on the video games Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009) and Resident Evil 5 (2009), according to his IMDb page.

Additionally, according to his official website, he is also a real estate and mortgage broker, specialising in "overseeing new construction projects."

More about Ernest Heinz's arrest

Following the incident that took place at around 12:50 p.m., per WPVI, the first officers who were present on the scene "attended to the victim, who had in fact sustained a gunshot wound to her face."

According to the aforementioned Facebook post, "Arias-Galva was able to describe her attacker as a white male, with blonde hair, in a ponytail" and "was able to describe the male's vehicle as a white Honda SUV."

She was later relocated to Atlanticare Regional Medical Centre, City Division (Atlantic City), for trauma and was "in stable condition and recovering from the injury," the authorities said at the time.

This was followed by an "active investigation," which "eventually led to a suspect being identified as 46-year-old Ernest Wesley Heinz, of Port Republic, who was the lone occupant in his vehicle."

The actor was located and taken into custody later in the day, "at a residence in the Blue Heron Pines Development in Galloway Township."

At the time, the actor was charged with criminal attempt homicide, aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

"Criminal complaints were placed on warrants and Wesley Heinz was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility," the post added.

The additional charges are related to firearms found in a storage unit. According to ABC 6, Heinz allegedly went to that storage unit following the shooting, and that's where the firearms were discovered.

According to a report by Breaking AC, the actor is accused of shooting the woman with a .380 calibre handgun, registered to his father's name. The outlet also reported that he was driving a white Honda CR-V registered to his mother at the time of the incident.

According to NJ.com, Maritza and Heinz were merging into the same lane on South Pomona Road in Galloway. Later, they encountered each other again near Stockton University, where Heinz allegedly yelled at her from his car before he fired at least one round into her vehicle.

"The prompt and professional actions of our officers resulted in a quick apprehension of Mr. Heinz. We wish Ms. Aria-Galva a swift recovery, and we are here to support our community following this senseless incident," Chief Eric B. Hendrickson said.

Speaking to The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 13 while recovering at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Arias-Galva shared that Ernest allegedly threatened to take her life.

"I know that kind of person, because I work customer service. I just said, 'Thank you, sir.' I was thinking about my kids. I was thinking, I need to survive this. I'm the only family they have in New Jersey," she said.

Stay tuned for more updates.