Two men were caught with a loaded “ghost gun” in Secaucus early yesterday morning while driving a moving truck stolen out of Georgia, Police Chief Dennis Miller said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Fabian Soto, 30, of New York, New York, and Fatah Iarkane, 23, of Secaucus, were both charged with receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of hollow point ammunition, possession of handgun ammunition, and transporting a defaced firearm, Miller said in a statement.
Soto was also charged with certain persons not to possess a firearm, while Iarkane had a warrant from Woodbridge with a bail of $1,000 and two from Secaucus with bails of $200 and $100, respectively.
On Sunday at about 12:02 a.m., Secaucus Police Officer Salvatore Manente, Jr. was on patrol on Blondel Drive when he noticed a parked Penske moving truck with two men sitting in it. The truck also did not have any license plates affixed to it.
Manente approached the truck to further investigate and the driver, Soto, handed Manente a Virginia license plate. A check of the registration revealed that the truck was reported stolen out of Cobb County, Georgia.
Soto and the passenger, identified as Iarkane, were arrested. Police Officer Justin Machno searched the cab of the stolen truck and found a loaded 9mm handgun along with a single .357 caliber hollow point round of ammunition.
Upon inspecting the handgun, it was discovered that it was not a firearm manufactured by any one company and was classified as a “ghost gun,” since the gun parts are assembled into a functioning firearm assembled from gun parts without serial numbers.
“I want to praise the ongoing proactive efforts of the Secaucus Police Department’s night tour and its supervisors,” Miller added.
“This arrest in a residential neighborhood is another example of how this police department is committed to proactive policing and will continue to probe suspicious activity, even while our residents are asleep, to ensure they are safe and their property is protected.”
Both men were charged, processed, and remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, authorities said.
