SHARE

Clifton Man Among Several Arrested In Newark On Weapons Charges

Nearly a dozen people were arrested and 8 guns seized over the weekend in Newark, in what Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose attributed to "great, proactive police work." 

Several were arrested over the weekend in Newark on weapons and other charges.

Several were arrested over the weekend in Newark on weapons and other charges.

Photo Credit: Newark police

A number of the arrests stemmed from investigations into routine offenses, including a cracked windshield. Christopher Hanley, a 36-year-old Fair Lawn man, was pulled over Friday on Pine Grove Terrace. 

Police said Hanley agreed to a search of the car after police spotted drug paraphernalia, which led to the discovery of an illegal weapon. Hanley, who did not have a license, was charged with drug and weapons offenses. 

Ted Compere, 23, was arrested Friday after police said he tried to ditch a gun on S. 15th Street. The weapon had been reported stolen in Fayetteville, N.C., in 2016. 

An off-duty police lieutenant who stopped for gas Saturday saw Jonathan Townes, 26, of Union, pick up a gun. The lieutenant followed Townes and called for backup, resulting in his arrest on weapons possession charges, police said.  

Five men -- Andy Miquicatillo, 30, of Clifton; and Newark residents Eudys Santos-Toribio, 19;  Uriel Castillo, 24; Darian Castillo, 20; and 19-year-old Yasir Garcia -- were arrested Sunday on N. 6th Street on drug and weapons charges after their minivan was pulled over. The men had been smoking pot, police said. 

Police found a revolver with a sawed-off barrel and two other guns in the minivan. 

Also Sunday, police pulled over a car on Broad Street for illegally tinted windows and noticed the butt of a gun sticking out from under the seat. The weapon had been reported stolen in North Carolina, police said. 

Arrested were 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  companion picked up a bag to go into her Grafton Street apartment, according to police. Police said the bag belonged to Lett and 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.”

to follow Daily Voice South Passaic and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE