NEWARK – During a weekend filled with “great, proactive police work” as described by Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, Newark police recovered eight guns and made 11 weapons arrests.
“As I always say, every gun we take off the street means one, or more, less homicides, armed robberies, carjacking and other crimes where a gun is used to terrorize people.”
Officials said job Friday night, July 19, police were alerted to a gun left in a jacket on at the corner of 3rd Street and Gould Avenue.
A handgun load with 16 live rounds, including seven hollow point bullets, was recovered. The gun had been stolen out of Newport News, Va., earlier this year.
Also on Friday, a cracked windshield led police to make a traffic stop on Pine Grove Terrace of an unlicensed driver, who had outstanding warrants. Visible drug paraphernalia led to a consented search of the car, which yielded netted an illegal gun. Christopher Hanley, 36, of Fair Lawn, N.J., was arrested on multiple drug and weapons charges.
Later that evening observed a man who ditched a gun as they approached in a vehicle on the 400 block of South 15th Street.
Police arrested Ted Compere, 23, possession of the weapon which was stolen out of Fayetteville, N.C. in 2016.
Officials said on Saturday, July 20, an off-duty police lieutenant was getting gas at a station on Washington Street, when he noticed a man retrieving a gun that had been left on the ground.
The lieutenant followed the car as it left the station and called for assistance. The car was abandoned on Springfield Avenue, where police found a loaded handgun.
Officers pursuing the occupants of the car and arrested Jonathan Townes, 26, of Union on weapon possession charges.
At midday Sunday, July 21, officials said police noticed five men in a minivan smoking marijuana as they were stopped at a red light on N. 6th Street. Police pulled the minivan over and a subsequent search of the car yielded two guns in small packs. One revolver had its barreled sawed off.
Police arrested Eudys Santos-Toribio, 19, of Newark, Andy Miquicatillo, 30, of Clifton, Uriel Castillo, 24, of Newark, Darian Castillo, 20, also of Newark, and Yasir Garcia, 19, of Newark, on various drug and weapons charges.
Later Sunday, police pulled over a car with illegally tinted windows and a partially obscured license plate. During the traffic stop on the 1200 block of Broad Street, police noticed the butt of a gun underneath the passenger seat and ordered both occupants out of the car.
The loaded gun had been stolen out of Fayetteville, N.C., last year. Police arrested Arande Major, 32, of Newark, and Shawn Holmes, 27, of Irvington on weapons charges.
Also on Sunday, police noticed Omere Lett, 18, who matched surveillance picture taken from an armed robbery in the area.
As they began to question him, his female companion picked up a bag to go into her Grafton Street apartment.
It was determined the bag belonged to Lett and it contained a loaded handgun. He was arrested on drug and weapons charges.
“All of these cases developed because great, proactive police work where our officers observed something potentially unlawful and quickly and thoroughly investigated,” Ambrose said.
“This is the kind of work done by our police on a daily basis that might not draw the headlines, but keeps the residents safe.”