Illegal Alien In Long Branch Had Multiple Illegal Guns, U.S. Attorney Charges

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A citizen of El Salvador, who was in the United States illegally and living in Long Branch, was arrested and charged with possessing firearms as an illegal alien, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Jose Manuel Menjivar Viera, a/k/a Jose Manuel Mejiva, 35, was charged with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms. Viera made his initial appearance in Trenton federal court, and was detained.

At approximately 3 a.m. on December 11, 2024, law enforcement officers in Long Branch responded to multiple 911 calls regarding gunshots fired in a suburban neighborhood. Shortly after officers arrived, they observed an individual, later identified as Viera, riding a bicycle and carrying a large black bag, said prosecutors. Here is the unsealed federal criminal complaint against Viera.

Officers followed Viera before he dismounted from the bike and fled into the backyard of a nearby home. Officers searched the area where Viera fled and eventually recovered his bicycle and the bag he was carrying. The bag contained two firearms, a semiautomatic rifle and a loaded handgun, firearm magazines, ammunition and a machete.

A short time later, officers discovered Viera hiding in the truck-bed of a pickup truck parked in the driveway next to the home.

Viera was subsequently identified by agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as being an El Salvador national and citizen, and without any legal status to be in the United States, said Habba.