Naples residents arrested in connection with shooting of swamp buggy racer, boyfriend
The ex-wife of a man shot while driving with his girlfriend on June 1 is one of two people arrested in New Jersey on Thursday as Collier County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the case.
Collier County Sheriff's Office detectives on Thursday arrested a man and woman who are related to the shooting that injured swamp buggy racer Amy Chesser and her boyfriend, Scott McCandless.
Members of the U.S. Marshal's Service Task Force and New Jersey State Police assisted the detectives in the arrest of Ryan Toranzo, 38, and Rebecca Gabay, 36, of Naples. The pair is currently in Middlesex County Jail in New Jersey and will be extradited to Collier County, according to detectives.
The investigation has been ongoing for over a month, the sheriff's office reported.
Toranzo faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Suspect Rebecca Gabay is ex-wife of shooting victim
Gabay, McCandless' former wife, faces two third-degree felony charges including interference with custody and removing or concealing minors contrary to a state or court order. Her charges are related to the June 1 incident but not directly connected to the shooting, detectives said.
Previously: Naples man arrested in shooting that injured accomplished swamp buggy racer, boyfriend
The June 1 shooting at the intersection of Immokalee Road and Twin Eagles Boulevard caused a rollover crash in Rural Estates. A GoFundMe identified the victims as Chesser and McCandless, who both sustained life-threatening injuries.
The couple was airlifted to Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers, a report indicates. Investigators later found both had been shot. As of June 18, both victims had undergone several lifesaving procedures such as brain surgery, according to a report.
At the hospital, McCandless told police his ex-wife hates him, and the two had a custody battle over their two children. Police were told Gabay said she would have him killed before he got custody of their children, an arrest report detailed.
Per their custody agreement, McCandless was supposed to receive more visitation with the children two days after he was shot.
He told police Toranzo was his ex-wife's boyfriend who lived with her. At a visitation with his children at a public park, he said Toranzo told him "He would have him taken care of if he saw him outside of the park," according to the report.
During McCandless' visitation with his kids the day before he was shot, his phone alerted him that an Apple Air Tag was tracking his location, according to the report.
Julian Mendes-Wolf, a third suspect, was arrested in connection with the shootings June 19. The 28-year-old remains in Collier County jail on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of shooting a missile into an occupied vehicle, without bond.
More: Victims in Rural Estates rollover crash identified as accomplished swamp buggy racer, boyfriend
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said the investigation has taken detectives outside Collier County on multiple occasions. Toranzo and Gabay were tracked to a home in Monroe Township, New Jersey.
Their bond amounts were not immediately available.
Emma Behrmann is a breaking news reporter for the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press. You may reach her atEBehrmann@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmabehrmann.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples pair arrested in relation to shooting of Amy Chesser, boyfriend
