North Jersey Felon Caught With Ghost Gun, Ammo, Officials Say

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A Passaic County man with a criminal background was caught with a "ghost gun" and several rounds of ammunition, according to federal officials.

Kendale Wilson, 39, of Paterson, a convicted felon, was convicted again this week for possessing ammunition in a personally manufactured firearm, officials said.

In April 2024, New Jersey State Police troopers were patrolling Paterson when they spotted a group of people, including Wilson, standing near the intersection of Union Avenue and Jasper Street.

As the troopers were talking with the group, Wilson began acting "suspiciously," according to officials.

When an officer got out of his car to speak with Wilson, Wilson immediately ran down an alleyway toward the driveway of a nearby house, authorities said.

As Wilson was fleeing police, he pulled a personally manufactured firearm (PMF) with a high-capacity drum magazine, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, from under his sweatshirt and threw it into the air toward a nearby home, officials say.

Once he ditched the gun, Wilson continued to flee, hopping a fence and running until another group of officers cornered and arrested him, police said.

Investigators found the gun, a broken-apart drum magazine, and 29 scattered rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition in the area where he threw them, according to officials.

Personally manufactured firearms, often referred to as "ghost guns," are weapons assembled by non-licensed individuals rather than commercial manufacturers. The weapons, often sold in assembly kits, do not have serial numbers, making it difficult for law enforcement to track them if they're used in a crime.

Wilson was convicted this week following a three-day trial. He faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23.