Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is engaged! The Jersey Shore star proposed to girlfriend Saffire Matos on a beach in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 19, a source told People. Ronnie confirmed the news on Monday, June 21 by sharing an Instagram photo of the engagement beach scene and Saffire’s ring. “I love you 💕 Thank you for sticking by my side through thick and thin! Til death do us part! #SheSaidYes,” he wrote. Ronnie and Saffire, who began dating last fall, were reportedly joined at their engagement by the reality star’s family, including his 3-year-old daughter, Ariana Sky Magro. Ronnie shares Ariana with his ex-girlfriend Jen Harley.
On the same day of Ronnie’s engagement, Jen was reportedly arrested and charged in Las Vegas for assault with a deadly weapon, according to Us Weekly. Jen’s bond was reportedly set at $5,000 and she had a court hearing on Sunday, June 20. HollywoodLife has reached out to Nevada police to independently confirm Jen’s arrest, but has not heard back at time of publishing.
Ronnie has had a turbulent past few years. He was arrested on April 22 in Los Angeles on a domestic violence charge which the Los Angeles Police Department’s public information officer confirmed with HollywoodLife. It came as he was still on probation, stemming from his arrest over an October 2019 incident that allegedly involved a physical altercation with Jen, before chasing her out of their L.A. Airbnb rental home. Ronnie eventually pleaded not guilty to seven misdemeanors, including domestic violence. But he ended up cutting a May 2020 deal to avoid jail time, where he was placed on 36 months of probation.
After the April 22 arrest, Ronnie’s attorneys, Scott E. Leemon and Leonard Levine, told us in an exclusive statement that Ronnie would not be charged in the DV case. They also confirmed that Ronnie was seeking psychological help. Ronnie later shared via a Thurs. May 13 Instagram story that he would be leaving MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation to focus on himself. “After talking to the team at MTV, we have mutually agreed that I will step away from the show while I seek medical treatment for mental health issues that I’ve ignored for far too long,” he told his fans.
Ronnie and Jen had an on-off relationship for years until he started dating Saffire, a certified eyelash technician with businesses in both Staten Island and New York City, in November 2020. At the time, a source close to the reality star told HollywoodLife that he was not rushing into the new relationship. “Ronnie is not thinking marriage with Saffa or anyone right now,” said the source. “Marriage is not on his brain and it wouldn’t be surprising if it never were. He’s just enjoying himself with Saffa and seeing where it goes.”