Another youth with a gun also arrested this weekend, police said
NEWARK -- Two teenaged boys were arrested after they were found in possession of loaded handguns this weekend, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said.
The first arrest occurred Friday, when members of the Newark Violence Reduction Initiative -- an inter-agency effort consisting of personnel from the State Police, FBI, Essex County Sheriff and State Parole -- "developed information relevant to a shooting that occurred earlier in the week in the West Ward," Glover said.
After conducting an investigation into the tip, law enforcement responded to the 600 block of 15th Avenue in search of the 16-year-old suspect. Detectives in an unmarked vehicle watched as the teen remove a handgun and other items from his pocket and place them in the hallway of a building, Glover said.
The unnamed suspect was held as police retrieved the items, a 40-caliber handgun, a 38-caliber handgun and a stash of drugs. He was uncharged with unlawful possession of weapons as well as other offenses.
At noon the following day, Officer Pedro Rivera, who was off-duty, was in a North Ward restaurant when he saw someone with a gun. Rivera "discreetly" contacted police, who apprehended the suspect based on Rivera's description, Glover said. The 17-year-old, who was eating when police entered, was arrested on weapons charges after police found him in possession of a loaded .40-caliber handgun, Glover said.
"Whether the arrests were the result of a tip or the alert actions of an off duty Newark officer frequenting a local business, police are out in the field working feverishly to make our city safer. I applaud the Newark officers and our partners assigned to the NVRI for their dedicated and outstanding police work," said Newark Police Director Eugene Venable.
Police ask that anyone with information about these or any other crimes call the department's 24-hour Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 877-NWK-TIPS (877 695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877 695-4867).
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook
