Christine Sanfelice, 32, of Camden, and Alex Crawford, 27, of Hammonton, were arrested on Tuesday, Apr. 23. The Brigantine Police Department announced their arrests in a news release on Wednesday, May 1.
Officers responded to a report of a woman peeing behind a Wawa convenience store at around 10:21 a.m. A woman matching a caller's description denied the accusation, provided a name to police, and refused to answer questions.
The woman was allowed to leave but one officer thought she gave a fake identity after seeing her get in a pickup with a business name on it. Investigators searched law enforcement databases, learned the woman was Sanfelice, and discovered she had multiple arrest warrants.
At around 2:28 p.m., the officer saw the same pickup traveling 36 mph in a 25 mph zone on Bayshore Avenue and stopped the truck. Crawford was driving the pickup and Sanfelice was in the passenger seat.
Sanfelice initially denied her real identity but she eventually listened to police and was arrested. Officers found her with "drug paraphernalia indicative of crack cocaine use."
Crawford also had a warrant and while he was being arrested, he told police that he had a gun in a backpack in the pickup's back seat. The gun was registered to him and it had a bullet in the chamber.
Police found suspected crack cocaine in Crawford's pocket. More drug paraphernalia and suspected crack were found inside the pickup.
On Wednesday, Apr. 24, another New Jersey law enforcement agency outside Atlantic County told Brigantine police that Crawford was a suspect for recklessly and illegally firing a gun. Investigators said the gun recovered in the traffic stop was used to fire the shots early in the morning on Tuesday, Apr. 23.
Crawford was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (crack cocaine), unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of prohibited ammunition (hollow points), and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also charged in the unrelated shots fired incident.
Sanfelice was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (crack cocaine), possession of drug paraphernalia, and hindering apprehension.
Crawford and Sanfelice were held on their warrants at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
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