A fight between South Jersey dads over a player being kicked off a travel softball team escalated into a bloody brawl in Maryland earlier this week, and now the two men are facing criminal charges.
Police said 48-year-old Michael Barbella of Ventnor and 45-year-old Michael John Duffy of Mays Landing were arrested in Salisbury, Maryland, after engaging in a fight captured on a cellphone camera.
Deputies in Salisbury, Md., responded to the Wicomico County Youth and Civic Center just after 6 p.m. Wednesday when the fight between the men erupted. Police said an investigation into the dustup revealed that Barbella challenged Duffy via text message to a physical fight earlier in the day and drove to Maryland to confront him.
Both men are charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. Barbella was held in lieu of $20,000 bond after an initial court appearance in Maryland, and Duffy was released on his own recognizance, authorities said.
