Angry Customer Pulls Gun During Argument At Cellphone Store, Haledon Police Charge

A customer pulled a gun and cycled a round into the chamber during an argument at a Passaic County cellphone store, said police who disarmed and arrested him.

Michael Surak
Photo Credit: *HALEDON PD*

Jerry DeMarco

02/21/2021 10:21 a.m.

Haledon Police Sgt. George Kelly and Officers Michael Palmer and April Latona ordered borough resident Michael Surak, 21, to show his hands after they converged on the Metro PCS Store on Haledon Avenue and found him with a bulge on the left side of his pocket shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, Lt. George Guzman said.

They seized Surak and found him carrying a loaded .22-caliber GSG 1911 American Tactical long-barreled pistol with a defaced serial number, Guzman said.

Surak was sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson on weapons offenses.

"Thankfully, no one was injured," Guzman said. "The responding officers should be lauded for their precision and professionalism."

They "demonstrated the utmost restraint and steadfastness," Police Chief Angelo J. Daniele said. "Their swift actions averted a senseless act of violence."

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