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Loaded Gun Found In Children's Toys: 5 Adults, Two Juveniles Seized In Little Ferry House Raid

Police who raided a rented Little Ferry home found a loaded gun in a children’s play area in a bag atop a pile of toys, authorities said.

From left / TOP: Christian Dow, Christian Ruiz, Alessia QuattrominiBOTTOM: Aminta Leon, Holly Dhaliwal, ERT members at 21 John Street raid

From left / TOP: Christian Dow, Christian Ruiz, Alessia Quattromini

BOTTOM: Aminta Leon, Holly Dhaliwal, ERT members at 21 John Street raid

Photo Credit: BCJ / BOTTOM RIGHT: Contributed

Six adults and three juveniles were initially taken into custody following the joint raid of the troubled John Street home by tactical squads from the Little Ferry and Lyndhurst police departments.

Five adults were charged, only two of whom actually live there, according to police records.

In addition to a loaded .22-caliber revolver that reportedly turned up in a children's basement play area, police said they located a loaded Glock 32 handgun with an attached laser and two magazines loaded with a mix of hollow-point bullets and full metal jacket rounds in a safe.

A third magazine for the Glock was found along with a holster inside a bedside night table, they said.

Arrested were two residents of the home -- identified as Aminta Leon, 50, and Christian A. Ruiz, 21 -- along with Christian Dow, 21, of Hackensack, Alessia Quattromini, 24, of Mahwah and Holly Dhaliwal, 18, of Lodi, according to a police report.

All five were charged with various drug and weapons counts and sent to the Bergen County Jail to await first appearances in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

Leon, Ruiz, and Quattromini were also charged with child endangerment for storing firearms within reach of a minor. Another adult was released from headquarters without charges after signing for his property, authorities said.

Delinquency complaints were being prepared against the juveniles. Representatives of the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency also were notified, police noted.

Little Ferry police had joined their colleagues from Lyndhurst, who were investigating the thefts of high-end limited-edition bicycles from throughout Lyndhurst that were then advertised for sale on Facebook.

Little Ferry Raid: Arrests Made In Thefts Of High-End Bikes From Lyndhurst Peddled On Facebook

Counting on the element of surprise, tactical emergency response teams from both departments hit the home before dawn Wednesday, Nov. 8.

They reported finding all kinds of interesting contraband during an extensive search of the house.

There was a rear wall shelf that held illegal fireworks, they said. There was pot and a few prescription pills in a backback.

Lyndhurst police then discovered a box of .22-caliber ammo in a corner of the basement, according to the police report.

Little Ferry police said they found the loaded revolver in the children's play area and turned it over to members of Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton's Bureau of Criminal Identification, who found that the gun had been defaced.

They later found the Glock 32 in a master bedroom nightstand, according to the complaint.

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