Ocean Casino Shooting Suspect Arrested Minutes After Attack

Posted on: July 14, 2025, 01:20h. 

Last updated on: July 14, 2025, 01:28h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Ronald Rivers was apprehended minutes after Ocean Casino Resort shooting
  • Victim remains in critical condition at local hospital
  • Rivers is charged with attempted murder and firearm offenses

Atlantic City Police arrested a 55-year-old resident Saturday “within minutes” after he allegedly fired multiple shots at a 41-year-old man in Ocean Casino Resort’s multilevel parking garage, leaving the victim critically injured.

Atlantic City shooting, Ocean Casino Resort, Ronald Rivers arrest, gun violence New Jersey, attempted murder charge
Atlantic City’s Ocean Resort, above, with a view of the parking garage, where the suspect, Ronald Rivers, top right, is alleged to have fired multiple shots into the lower body of his victim. (Image: Shutterstock/ACPD)

Authorities apprehended Ronald Rivers approximately two blocks away on the 100 block of South New Hampshire Avenue after he fled the scene on foot. That location lies just inland from the Boardwalk and the resort complex.

Multiple Gunshot Wounds

The quick arrest was the result of a coordinated response involving officers, dispatchers, surveillance personnel, and Ocean Casino security, police said.

Officers were called to the parking garage just after 9:00 pm where they found the victim suffering from several gunshot wounds to his lower body.

The victim was rushed to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in the city, where he remains in critical condition.

Police discovered a handgun reportedly stolen from South Carolina in Rivers’ possession. Authorities described the shooting as isolated, adding that there was no ongoing threat to public safety.

Prior Firearms Offenses

Rivers has been charged with multiple offenses, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession for unlawful purposes, possession of a stolen weapon, and additional related charges. He was ordered to be held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

Court records show Rivers was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2015 after being charged with 15 offenses, including aggravated assault, weapons charges, and multiple drug-possession and distribution counts. This stemmed from an incident in 2014 when police were called to a residence in Dennis Township, NJ after a woman reported that she had been threatened with a handgun.

Police arrived to find Rivers armed with a loaded revolver and discovered more than $2,400 in cash, along with quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and OxyContin. He was released from prison in 2023.

Gun Violence Down

Despite Atlantic City’s reputation for crime, both the city and New Jersey as a whole have experienced a significant drop in gun violence of late, with shooting fatalities reaching a recorded low in 2024.

WPG Talk Radio recently reported that Atlantic City “nearly made it through half of 2025 without a shooting homicide.”

Sadly, the streak ended with two fatal shootings in late June and early July.