Driver, Passenger Jailed After Paterson Detectives Find Gun, Drugs In Traffic Stop

A driver who ran a stop sign was arrested along with his passenger after Paterson detectives found a loaded gun and several bags of Ecstasy in the car, authorities said.

Paterson police
Photo Credit: *Paterson PD Ceasefire Unit*

Jerry DeMarco

04/07/2022 5:22 p.m.

Jonathan Guerrero of Totowa and Malik Hammond of Paterson, both 24, were sent to the Passaic County Jail after being stopped by Detectives Wojciech Kulbabinski and Kenneth Kerwin on Fulton Street around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, city Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said.

The detectives were working the area of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Harrison Street when they chased down the white Chevrolet with Florida license plates after it blew through the stop sign, Speziale said.

They recovered a 9mm semi-automatic Taurus handgun, along with eight baggies of MDMA (Ecstasy), the director said.

Guerrero and Hammond were charged with drug and weapons offenses and sent to the Passaic County Jail to await first appearances in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson, he said.

Police were sending the gun to New Jersey State Police for ballistics testing to determine whether it may have been fired during a crime.

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