Police in Newark announced the arrests of four individuals found to be carrying loaded handguns when detained by police for other suspected crimes.
“Every gun we recover means we’ve saved at least one life,” Ambrose said. “Each one of these gun arrests makes the city a little safer.”
Ambrose also said in three of the cases, resident complaints led to the arrests.
“The community is our greatest partner in keeping the city safe,” he said.
In the first case, a crime prevention unit responding to citizen complaints about open-air drug use, observed several drug transactions on Cutler Street near Franklin School and the Villa Victoria public housing units at around 8 p.m. on June 4.
Police say in arresting three men and a juvenile for possession of drugs, police found a loaded handgun in a fanny pack carried by Mr. David Martinez, 27, and a gun concealed by Mr. Dennis Veerden, 27, behind his knee under his pants.
Both men were charged with multiple weapons and drug offenses, while Mr. Jahlil Brevard, 22, and the 17-year-old juvenile face multiple drug charges.
Police say on May 31, police responded to a stabbing in progress on the 300 block of Broadway at around 6 a.m. and found Ms. Esmeralda Mendez, 20, with no injuries but blood on her arms and hands, claiming another man had stabbed her boyfriend.
As police detained her, a handgun and hollow point bullets were found in her pink fanny pack. She was arrested and charged with multiple weapons offenses police said.
A resident complaint about six males acting suspiciously on the N. 13th Street led police to recover a weapon from June 12. As police approached, Raheem Jones, 23, began to hurriedly leave the area.
Police noticed a bulge under his shirt and took a loaded handgun off him with no resistance. He was charged with multiple gun offenses.