A bullet ripped through a Jersey City resident's front door and lodged in a staircase this morning, five minutes after he argued with a man who was blocking his car in a nearby driveway, police said.

Police responding to Arlington Avenue at 6:30 a.m. on a report of shots fired were flagged down by a man who showed cops the bullet hole in his front door, a police report said.

The 62-man told police he arrived home from work and parked his car in the driveway of 99 Arlington Ave., a neighboring building, reports said. He later noticed a car blocking the driveway where he had parked, so he spoke to the driver and an argument ensued, reports said.

As the victim walked home, the driver of the car drove past him slowly, saying, ?Good, I know where you live,? from the driver-side window, reports said. Five minutes later, the resident told cops, he heard an "extremely loud noise like a bomb exploded.?

The victim went downstairs and found a jagged hole from a gunshot in the front door and the hole in his staircase, reports said.

Police searched the area, but did not locate the man who argued with the victim. Neighbors, however, said they heard the gunshot and told cops the owner of the car was known to visit a teenager in the 99 Arlington Ave. building, reports said.

Police said a 17-year-old girl who lived in the building and was identified as the suspect's girlfriend, refused to co-operate with the police.

The girl was arrested and charged with hindering apprehension and taken to the Juvenile Bureau, accompanied by her mother, where the girl was interviewed by police, reports said.
JJ