Palisades Park Police Find Gun, Ammo In SUV

Palisades Park police checking out a suspicious person report said they found a driver carrying a gun.

A concerned citizen called at 9:35 a.m. to report man suspiciously “going in and out of” a blue 2001 Ford Explorer parked at the corner of Delia Boulevard and East Columbia Avenue, Police Chief Benjamin Ramos said.

Approaching the car, Officers Salvatore Farnese and Alessandro Monteleone smelled a “strong odor of marijuana” from inside and spotted a joint in plain view in the center console, the chief said.

Joined by Sgt. Dennis Pavlik, the officers asked the driver for consent to search the vehicle after her passenger, told them he had marijuana in an Altoids box, Ramos said.

The officers found a marijuana grinder with pot leaves inside, rolling papers and a small amount of prescription pills, among other items, he said.

Officers were awaiting a Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 unit when Monteleone found a black bag behind the driver’s seat that contained a .380-caliber silver and black Cobra pistol and 50 rounds of ammunition, the chief said.

Sheriff’s Officer Robert Mantone’s partner, Mike, later led officers to a backpack in the rear of the vehicle that contained two bags of marijuana and another grinder, Ramos said.

The couple were taken into custody and later released pending further court action.

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