Car Crash in Newark NJ Leads to Discovery of Illegal Semi-Automatic Handgun

Police in Newark New Jersey apprehended a man who was allegedly in possession of a semiautomatic firearm. Prior to discovering the illegal handgun, law enforcement chased after the suspect until he crashed into a parked vehicle on a city street. Remarkably, the man reportedly concocted a carjacking story and tried to pretend that he was not the driver when questioned by police about the car accident.

The strange incident began around 1:00 a.m. near the Betty Shabazz housing complex in Newark, New Jersey. Newark Police Department detectives happened to be on patrol in the area when they reportedly saw the suspect speeding past the housing complex. The suspect, who was driving a Nissan vehicle, allegedly upped his speed and tried to flee police after noticing the detectives trailing behind his car and flashing their emergency lights.

The subsequent car chase came to a quick end when the suspect reportedly slammed his Nissan into a parked car on Avon Avenue in Newark, NJ.

The Newark detectives were able to apprehend two passengers in the Nissan, but the suspect reportedly managed to elude law enforcement and flee the scene on foot. The passengers, two juvenile girls, were treated at the scene for minor injuries that they suffered in the auto accident.

Newark NJ police officers later searched the suspect’s car and allegedly discovered a semi-automatic handgun. Police also reportedly came across a small quantity of marijuana inside the motor vehicle.

Newark detectives were eventually able to track down the suspect and place him under arrest. Prior to arresting the suspect, police spoke with the suspect and tried to ascertain whether he was behind the wheel of the Nissan at the time of the car crash. The suspect reportedly told detectives that he was not the individual driving the vehicle. The suspect claimed that he was the victim of a carjacking and that the actual driver of the car was the person who had committed the carjacking.

Law enforcement did not believe the suspect’s story. He was placed under arrest and charged with several crimes, including illegal possession of a handgun, marijuana possession, eluding police, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, and filing a false police report.

Illegal Semi-Automatic Gun Charges in Newark, NJ

To learn more about this gun crime case, access the NJ.com article, “Man Lied about Carjacking after Drugs, Gun found in Vehicle, Police Say.”