Ghost Gun Found In Car After East Brunswick Traffic Stop, Police Say

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — A 32-year-old East Brunswick man has been charged with weapons offenses after a motor vehicle stop led police to a loaded ghost gun in his car, the East Brunswick Police Department said Monday.

At about 5:24 p.m. Sept. 9, a plainclothes officer in an unmarked police vehicle saw a black Mercedes being driven recklessly on Civic Center Drive. The officer tried to stop the car as it entered the Wyndmoor Apartments.

The driver, Jose Luis Martinez Jr., got out of the car. The officer identified himself as a police officer and ordered Martinez to stop, police said. Martinez ignored the commands and kept walking toward his home, saying, "You are not in uniform," according to police.

Martinez went into his apartment and remotely locked his vehicle, despite repeated commands to stop, police said.

Additional patrol officers and detectives responded and made several attempts to speak with Martinez. They told him he was the subject of a motor vehicle stop and had to provide his driving credentials, police said. Martinez initially refused to come out and continued to lock his vehicle remotely, according to police.

Martinez eventually left the apartment and was arrested for obstruction, police said. Officers suspected the vehicle contained contraband, and Martinez declined to consent to a search.

Middlesex County Sheriff's Officer Kevin Mastroserio and his K-9 partner, Jester, then conducted an open-air sniff of the Mercedes' exterior. The dog indicated the presence of narcotics, police said.

Detectives obtained a search warrant and executed it Sept. 15. They recovered a loaded 9mm handgun with a Polymer80 frame and no serial number, police said.

The gun had a 15-round large-capacity magazine loaded with four hollow-point rounds and 10 full-metal-jacket rounds. Another hollow-point round was in the chamber, according to police.

Police Chief Frank LoSacco commended the officers, detectives and law enforcement partners involved.

"The swift actions and thorough investigative work of our officers, detectives, and our law enforcement partners led to the removal of another illegal firearm from the streets of East Brunswick," LoSacco said. "I commend everyone involved, including Officer Mastroserio and K-9 Jester, for their professionalism and teamwork throughout this investigation. This marks the second illegal firearm recovered by our officers during the month of September and demonstrates their continued commitment to keeping our community safe."

Martinez was charged with:

• Unlawful possession of a handgun

• Certain persons not to have weapons

• Possession of a prohibited weapon (ghost gun)

• Possession of a prohibited weapon (large-capacity magazine)

• Possession of prohibited ammunition (hollow-point)

Martinez was taken into custody Sept. 18, processed and lodged in the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center, police said.

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