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A tip came in regarding Kyle Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 24, saying he had a track record of posting questionable content on social media, ranging from pointing firearms at people while driving and photos of illegal items, like silencers, Totowa Police Chief Carmen Veneziano said.
The tip, which came in via email, included screenshots of comments from a Facebook gun enthusiast group, and a photo of a person pointing a gun out the window while driving, the chief said.
A background and firearms check on Arena, as well as scouring of the Facebook gun group Meal Team 6.1 Mid-Tier Main Group were the first steps in corroborating the information, according to Veneziano. Officers were able to compile enough information to have a judge grant a temporary extreme risk protection order (TERPO), which in turn gave police the right to seize the firearms and other dangerous items from Arena.
A search of Arena's parents' house at 230 Lincoln Ave., where he lived, turned up a large cache of illegal firearms hidden in a crawl space, 129 fully-loaded illegal high-capacity magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition, several illegal sharp-edged weapons, ballistic body armor, a helmet, and parts to build and alter firearms, Veneziano said.
Four explosive items found in the home were seized by the Passaic County Sheriff's ERT, the chief said.
Meanwhile, Felix Arena, Kyle's dad, age 66, was arrested for disorderly conduct, terroristic threats, and resisting arrest. Kyle Arena was charged with multiple firearms and weapons violations.
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