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Officer Jeffrey Welsh smelled raw pot as he approached the 2005 Infiniti sedan during a stop on Pompton Road near Ailsa Avenue, Lt. George Guzman said.
Joined by Special Police Sgt. John Jones and a William Paterson University police officer, Welsh found a .44-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun loaded with six bullets under the front passenger seat and a bag of marijuana in back, Guzman said.
The driver got a speeding ticket and was released.
Welsh arrested the passenger, Marc Manfredonia, 29, of Little Egg Harbor on weapons charges, including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Manfredonia, a former Paterson and Bloomingdale resident who had previous drug dealing convictions out of Morris County, was also charged with having the pot.
Police sent him to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance Central Judicial Processing Court.
“The handgun was logged into evidence and it will be submitted for ballistic analysis,” Guzman said.
“We will continue to perform proactive police work in our committed quest to keep Haledon safe,” Police Chief Angelo J. Daniele added.
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