A Toms River man pointed a loaded gun at a woman in an apparent road rage incident Tuesday night, police say.



Hunter L. Stickno, 24, of Elizabeth Avenue, is facing weapons and assault charges after a 21-year-old woman called police just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night and told officers that she was being tailgated by a man in the area of Oak Avenue and North Bay Avenue and that he pointed a gun at her.



According to police spokesman Ralph Stocco, the victim told police that at the intersection of North Bay and Church Road, the man, identified later as Stickno, pulled alongside her car, rolled his window down and pointed a gun at her as he yelled. She fled through a red light, but the man continued to pursue her, Stocco said.



She finally evaded him and pulled into a Wawa parking lot where she called police, Stocco said.



Patrol Officer Stephen Eubanks provided a vehicle description to other officers that resulted in Stickno being stopped in his 2009 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck near Route 9 and Church Road by Officers Robertazzi and Unger. As they approached the vehicle, Stocco said, the officers saw a black handgun on the floor of the truck and in the reach of the driver.



The gun was a Taurus Rossi .357 magnum that was fully loaded and had extra bullets in a speed loader, according to police.



"The initial investigation leads us to believe that the handgun was purchased legally out of state by Mr. Stickno when he was not a New Jersey resident; however we continue to investigate this aspect of the case and further charges may be filed at a later date," said Stocco.



Stickno was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm for unlawful purposes, and unlawful possession of a weapon. He is being held on $50,000 bail

