The network had teased the moment repeatedly, and the clip circulating online has caused a sensation. In the clip, New York gym teacher Dan Ferro punches Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. Ferro was arrested, pleaded guilty and was given probation. MTV will show the aftermath of the event but not the punch itself.

“What happened to Snooki was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing,” MTV said. “After hearing from our viewers, further consulting with experts on the issue of violence and seeing how the video footage has been taken out of context to not show the severity of this act or the resulting consequences, MTV has decided not to air Snooki being physically punched in next week’s episode.”

The move comes after MTV programing president Tony DiSanto pledged a “hands off” approach to the docuseries and said that online controversy wasn’t going to change the show’s content. With two sponsors having pulled out of the program, however, the series has caused headaches at the network despite the show’s ratings climbing for its second episode last week.

The mystery man seen punching Snooki in a teaser clip for an upcoming episode of Jersey Shore has been identified as a New York City public school gym teacher, according to The New York Post.

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Brad Ferro, 24, of Deer Park, N.Y., was arrested in late August for punching Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi at the Beachcomber Bar & Grill in Seaside Heights, N.J., the local police told The Post.

The punch-out clip, which has gone viral, showed Ferro knocking Polizzi’s head back after a sudden and forceful jab to her face.

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Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman told The Post that Ferro was told by bouncers to cut back on the drinking because he seemed too drunk, but he managed to remain inside the bar and eventually stole alcohol that belonged to Polizzi.

“That started a verbal altercation after which he struck her in the face,” Korman told The Post. “She sustained an injury to the inside of her mouth due to the punch.”

MTV has pulled a scene from the next episode of Jersey Shore that showed one of the show’s main characters, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, getting punched in the face, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

A clip of the scene was featured in a preview Thursday and went viral soon after. The clip showed an unidentified man jabbing Polizzi’s face and subsequently knocking her head back violently.


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“What happened to ‘Snooki’ was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing,” MTV said in a statement. “After hearing from our viewers, further consulting with experts on the issue of violence, and seeing how the video footage has been taken out of context to not show the severity of this act or the resulting consequences, MTV has decided not to air ‘Snooki’ being physically punched in next week’s episode.”

In the statement, the network also assured fans of the show that the episode will still make clear what events transpired during the night, including the aftermath. The clip has also been removed from YouTube.

Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman said the suspect, Brad Ferro, 23, of Deer Park, N.Y., was told to stop drinking by bouncers at the Beachcomber Wednesday morning because he appeared intoxicated.

The bar’s bouncers let Ferro stay, however, and he eventually stole the female cast member’s alcoholic beverage from the bar and guzzled it down.

That apparently caused instant drama. Korman said Ferro punched the woman - who was not identified(Our Precious Snookie) - with a closed fist in the face.

Look @ the pain in his eyes