Jersey Shore

As TMZ first reported, Vinny bolted from the house after fighting with another cast member ... and made a beeline for home in Staten Island.

In the video, you see Vinny hop in a cab and drive away ... all while an MTV cameraman films from just a few feet away. As you can see below, Pauly D was with Vinny at one point as he loaded up the cab to leave.

Sources directly connected to the cast tell TMZ ... Vinny bolted from the house late last night after getting into an argument with another cast member. We're told Vinny was feeling "burned out" and went back home to Staten Island. We have confirmed that he is at his house in Staten Island right now.

Vinny threatened to leave a few days ago, after he complained of "being homesick." We're told the cast was able to talk him into coming back, but that didn't last long.

Sources connected with the show say Vinny has been a pain in the ass and no one will be getting on their knees, begging him to come back.

Pauly's "Dirty Couture Shore Store" opened for business yesterday on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights -- but the "Jersey" star couldn't help promote the big day ... because according to his contract with MTV, he's locked in to work exclusively at the infamous "Shore Store" t-shirt shop nearby.

Sources close to production tell us, MTV controls EVERYTHING while the cast is filming -- and Pauly has no choice but to work with his roommates while they shoot the rest of Season 5 ... in enemy territory.

As TMZ first reported, Pauly was one of only three cast members not sequestered at the "Jersey Shore" house in Seaside Heights, NJ -- he was allowed to skip out so he could work this gig.

Winner.

Although some big wigs on the show denied it last week, we're told MTV wants a fresh cast of characters after they wrap Season 5 -- which begins shooting in New Jersey Monday.

Sources connected with the show tell TMZ ... producers want to keep the cast "in the zone" after coming back from Italy. Translation: If they started circulating again in New Jersey with friends, family, and the media, they'd lose the chemistry that makes the show work, and it takes time to get it back.

So given that Season 5 starts shooting on Monday, we're told producers felt it was better to just keep them away from everyone.

But there are always exceptions to the rule. Sammi, Deena, and Pauly D had prior engagements they had booked that could not be canceled -- the girls had commercial shoots and Pauly had a DJ gig in Vegas.

Plans are already in motion for a fifth season back in Seaside Heights -- but sources connected with the "Jersey" cast tell TMZ ... Pauly D, Snooki, The Situation and the rest of the gang refused to take part without signing new contracts first.

We're told MTV originally planned to shoot the new season under the terms of the Season 4 contracts -- but lawyers for the cast refused ... so MTV drew up new papers.

We're told the majority of the cast has already re-signed for a bump in salary -- not a HUGE raise, but still significant -- and the rest will sign this week.

Sources close to Frank Sorrentino tell TMZ, he recently switched to a new brand of meds because he couldn't afford the old one -- and began to experience side effects ... like extremely high blood pressure.

Frank ended up in the emergency room at Boca Raton hospital Tuesday morning -- and was in and out of the hospital for the next few days.

According to our sources, the cast hasn't been told the plan is to shoot season five right after they are done shooting four -- even though MTV announced it yesterday. We're told 495 Productions will break the news either today or tomorrow.

Our sources say the cast was originally told the next season of the show would shoot in August. As a result, we're told the cast members booked club appearances for July -- and those are HUGE money makers.

According to our sources, the cast will leave Italy in late June and go straight to Seaside Heights -- which is a problem ... since no one packed enough clothing.

MTV announced the season four premiere date of "Jersey Shore" on Friday -- and also their plans to start shooting season five later this month. That season, the cast will be back in their natural habitat of Seaside Heights, NJ.

We spoke with a rep for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles ... who tells us, "Any accidents that occur in a foreign country do not affect a person’s driver license in New York State.”

As we previously reported, Snooki smashed into the side of a polizia squad car in Florence this weekend. She was taken into custody for questioning ... but not arrested.

Bottom line -- when Snooks returns to U.S. soil ... she'll be allowed to hit the streets again like nothing ever happened.

Snooki was driving when she struck the cop car, but sources connected with the production tell TMZ, "Zero alcohol was involved."

We're told no one was injured.

A witness tells TMZ, Snooki smacked right into the back of the patrol car, wedging her ride between the car and a highway protection wall. The witness says Deena was in the passenger seat at the time of the crash -- and when she tried to exit the car, she had to go through the window ... because the door was blocked by the wall.