A Toms River man was charged with illegally possessing a loaded semi-automatic rifle as a previously convicted felon, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Federal authorities said Mr. Jeremy W. Barringer, 46, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Barringer was taken into federal custody this morning, appeared today by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni in Trenton federal court, and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Oct. 24, at 3:05 a.m., Mantoloking and Bay Head police officers responded to the area of Herbert Street and Highway 35 in Mantoloking in response to a report of a motor vehicle crash involving a single vehicle.
Officers found Barringer, a previously convicted felon, behind the wheel of his vehicle and observed a 5.56-millimeter semi-automatic rifle on the floorboard of the back seat of Barringer’s vehicle.
The rifle was later found to be loaded with approximately 21 rounds of 5.56-millimeter full metal jacket ammunition.
When officers ordered Barringer to step out of the vehicle, they observed that Barringer was wearing a tactical, bullet-proof vest and an empty handgun holster on his hip.
After taking Barringer into custody, officers conducted a further search of Barringer’s vehicle and discovered a black 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol with no serial number (commonly referred to as a “ghost gun”), loaded with 14 rounds of hollow-point ammunition, three 9-millimeter pistol magazines loaded with hollow-point ammunition, and three 30-round rifle magazines loaded with 5.56-millimeter ammunition.
The count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.