39°
Michael Kanzer, 49, formerly of Rutherford, told Officer Gregory Slater that he needed to go to the hospital for an unspecified reason after the officer responded to the Washington Avenue eatery, Detective Lt. William Duran said.
Kanzer then asked him to secure a gun that he'd been carrying in his backpack, Duran said.
Slater found the 9mm handgun, which wasn’t only loaded with hollow-point ammunition but also had been reported stolen in 2012 out of Palm Bay, Florida, where Kanzer recently lived, the lieutenant said.
Kanzer has a criminal record stretching back more than 20 years in New Jersey and, more recently, in Florida.
Records show arrests and convictions for offenses that have included burglary, theft, stalking, criminal mischief, hindering arrest and being a fugitive from justice.
Last year, police in Titusville, FL charged him with stealing a car and credit cards.
Slater took Kanzer to headquarters following the Taco Bell incident and charged him with a host of weapons offenses – including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm – along with receiving stolen property and possession of hollow-point ammunition.
Kanzer was brought to New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus for an evaluation before being taken the Bergen County Jail.
Records show he remained for a week before a judge released him pending further court action.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paterson and receive free news updates.
