Michael Cerrato

AUBURN, N.Y. -- Cassie Mattes was inside the Auburn Domino's Saturday night when she noticed a man "smash his body into the door."

The 26-year-old assistant manager watched as the man picked himself up and moved away from the restaurant.

"It caught my attention," she said.

Mattes said the man appeared to be highly intoxicated as he staggered into the street.

But what she saw next is something she says she will never forget:

At 11:24 p.m., that same man -- later identified by Auburn police as off-duty New York City Police Officer Michael Cerrato -- fired a gun twice at a Domino's deliveryman driving past the restaurant, witnesses said.

"I said, 'Oh my God' and ran to the back and called 911," Mattes said.

The Domino's deliveryman, Cory Parsons, said he saw the man in the road as he drove past Domino's on Dill Street after delivering pizza at the Hilton Garden Inn. But he had no clue the man had just shot in his direction as he drove to his next delivery on Elizabeth Street in Auburn, he said.

"I saw him waving something black, but I didn't realize what it was," said Parson, 21, of Syracuse. "I thought he had a glove on and was waving at me to slow down."

But Parsons said he was only driving about 30 mph to 35 mph.

"I just passed him and then I heard, 'pop,'" Parsons said. "I thought my tire popped."

Parsons didn't think much of it and continued to the traffic light at Dill and North streets. He stopped. As he turned right onto North Street, Parsons said he saw a flash of light in his rear view mirror.

"I thought it was a firecracker," he said.

As soon as he delivered the pizza and returned to his car, his phone rang. It was Mattes. She told Parsons someone had shot at him and that he needed to get back to Domino's. Auburn police were already there.

"That's when I instantly realized what the pops were and what the guy was doing waving at me," Parsons said.

The popping sound wasn't his tire. And the flash of light wasn't a firecracker.

"It's crazy," he said. "He stared right at me."

Both Parsons and Mattes said they got a good look at the shooter, who was still nearby when police arrived.

Auburn police say they arrested Cerrato, 29, of Pomona in Rockland County, and charged him with first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, and second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor.

The Citizen reported that, according to court papers, witnesses said Cerrato appeared highly intoxicated.

Cerrato, who is currently suspended without pay from NYPD, is accused of shooting a 9mm Glock handgun in the direction of an occupied car outside Domino's, at 19 Dill St. in Auburn, police said.

Parson said his Honda Accord was not struck by the bullets and he was not hurt.

Police did not say what led up to the shots being fired. And Parsons said he has never seen or heard of Cerrato before the incident.

Cerrato was training with the National Guard in the area, the Auburn Police Department told the Citizen. (The New York Army National Guard's 102nd Military Police Battalion is based in Auburn.)

After he was arraigned on the charges, Cerrato was sent to the Cayuga County Jail. He was later released, records show.

Parsons, who has worked at Domino's for the past two years, said he doesn't feel as safe since his car was shot at. But it's also made him think about how precious life is.

"Don't take life for granted and cherish every day like it's your last," he said. "My family could have been going to a funeral right now. It makes you appreciate life when you go through something like that."

Mattes, who has worked at Domino's for the past six years, said the situation has made her emotional.

"I feel bad," she said. "I understand even the best people in life can make the worst decisions."

But the events that unfolded Saturday still run through her head.

"It's made me think of my life and what I'm going through, and his life and what he's about to go through," she said.

"Is he thinking about us like we're thinking about him?" she asked. "All I'm looking for is an apology for what we went through. Now we're so scared to be at our jobs, a place we felt so safe at prior to this incident."