Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Gushed Over Jen Harley Before Domestic Violence Arrest: ‘Everyone Thinks We’re Toxic’

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley showed off major PDA at the Jersey Shore star’s CBD launch party of VERGE in West Hollywood on Thursday, October 3. However, just hours later, Ortiz-Magro was arrested after a physical altercation with his on-again, off-again girlfriend.

“Suspect and victim were involved in some kind of physical altercation,” the LAPD confirmed to Us Weekly in a statement. “When officers on location, the suspect was uncooperative. Officers had to use a taser so there was minor use of force that occurred.” Officers responded to a battery in progress around 2:40 a.m. at an Airbnb that the two were staying at. The pair’s 18-month-old daughter, Ariana Sky, was also home at the time of the altercation.

Earlier in the night, Ortiz-Magro, 33, gushed about Harley in an exclusive interview with Us. “Honestly, even though everyone thinks we’re toxic, she really does balance me out,” he said. “She really does keep me level because with her I have her and the baby, which is a family, which is what I want at the end of the day.”

He continued: “The Jersey Shore thing and being single, it will always be there. And Pauly [DelVecchio] and Vinny [Guadagnino] have proved that, like, 10 years later. It’s not what I want, it’s not I want to strive for, like, I’m doing what I’m doing. I’m building a business so that I can pass something down to my kids so that they can have something that I’ve never had and I’m not doing it for me. I’m blessed that Jersey Shore has given me enough that I’m thankful and I’m happy I’m doing this because I want to give more back to my family and my kids. That’s where I’m at.”

Ortiz-Magro and Harley have split and reconciled multiple times since meeting in early 2017. Last month, the pair broke up once more, but ultimately decided to reconcile again.

“You know, we’re still not perfect, but we’re still working on our relationship every day,” the reality star told Us on September 19. “I really think it is [about] being the best parents that we can be to Ariana and that we’re doing a great job so far. ”

The pair welcomed daughter Ariana in April 2018. Months later, Ortiz-Magro spent a month in treatment for help with depression and alcohol abuse. “I wanted to be a better person, a better father for my daughter,” he told Us in February. He also opened up about his progress on Thursday night.

“I realized I was in a really dark place at that time of my life. You know, and I did it because I really needed to just sit back and reset. People don’t realize we’re off air for five years, the show comes back, just takes off. I’m having a kid. I don’t see her, I’m traveling, it’s a bunch of different emotions that I’ve never felt before,” he explained to Us. “So any person that ever doesn’t know what to do, what did they do? They drink. Right? You’re stressed out, ‘I’m gonna go have a drink.’ So that’s what I did. And then everything that I didn’t know what to do, that was my coping mechanism, but it never solved anything. Because then you wake up, and you still have the same problem.”

He added, with a laugh: “But now it’s worse because now you’re all f—ked up. Sorry for my language. But you can’t control the situation, so now [it] takes another day. And then the problem gets worse. And then it just builds and it’s just a ripple effect of what becomes of your life.”

Scroll through to see photos of Ortiz-Magro and Harley on the red carpet ahead of his arrest.