36 Guns Stolen During North Jersey Gun Shop Robbery: Reports

LOPATCONG, NJ - Three dozen guns were taken from a North Jersey gun shop overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to reports from several media outlets.

The firearms, all 9mm handguns, were taken from the Tech Ops International gun shop on South Fifth Street in Lopatcong between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., authorities told 1010 WINS.

The handguns are worth around $36,000 wholesale or $70,000 retail, the outlet added.

Per NJ 101.5, a video device outside the gun shop was disabled and the display case where the weapons were stored was smashed.

An employee of a nearby store noticed the shop’s open door Wednesday morning and called the police, 1010 WINS reported.

The Newark branch of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working with Warren County officials to investigate the incident, 1010 WINS added.

Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeifer believes the firearms are already on the street and will add to gun violence in the area, NJ 101.5 reported.

"They were taken and illegally stolen. They're going to end up on the black market, they're going to end up on our streets and they're going to be involved with other criminal activity. Unfortunately, people are going to be killed as a result of this," Pfeiffer told the outlet. "We suspect those guns are going to end up on the street immediately."

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office office at 908-475-6275, Lopatcong police at 908-859-2211 or ATF at 973-413-1179.