NORTH CAPE MAY – A Middle Township man shot himself in the foot as he fired a gun inside a car belonging to the parents of his former fiancé, a Lower Township Police Department report said.

The report said that, according to the victims, John and Maureen McHugh, they were asked by their late daughter’s former fiancé for a ride to the hospital on Sunday, Jan. 26, at around 9:20 p.m. At some point during the ride, Michael Affet, 47, of Middle Township, became irate.

According to the police report, Affet said the McHughs were “out to get him.” Maureen McHugh, the driver, pulled into a parking lot at 3301 Bayshore Road. She said her husband struggled with Affet, who had a gun, which he fired five times, striking himself in the foot, the report said.

The McHughs were able to get out of their 2023 Mercedes Benz C-30 and call 911. Officers responded and found Affet in the car, whose rear driver’s side window was shattered. Police also found bullets were fired through the rear window, sunroof and interior of the car, causing in excess of $2,000 damage.

The officers ordered Affet out of the vehicle, and he was placed in handcuffs. An unregistered, black Taurus .38 special handgun was found on the ground next to the car.

Upon learning Affet had shot himself, police called AtlantiCare EMS, and he was transported to Cooper University Hospital-Cape Regional. Prior to the transport he was placed under arrest.

He was accompanied to the hospital by Lower Township police officers, and later air-transported to Cooper University Hospital-Camden.

Affet was charged with second-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, second-degree possession of a weapon without a permit and second-degree criminal mischief. He was remanded to the Cape May County Correctional Center and scheduled for a detention hearing.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.