NJ Man Who Confessed To 'Ghost Gun' Crimes Sentenced To Prison

Editor's note: Officials and family members have clarified that Joseph Palumbo Jr. is not affiliated with the barbershop in Netcong.

NETCONG, NJ — A Morris County man will spend several years in prison after confessing to charges related to the sale and manufacturing of untraceable "ghost guns," officials said.

A judge has sentenced Joseph Palumbo Jr., 34, of Columbia to five years in New Jersey State prison, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Officials said that Palumbo Jr. illegally built and sold multiple firearms, which had no serial numbers, between December 2023 and February 2024. Police arrested him after a traffic stop on Feb. 8.

Palumbo originally faced 32 charges, with officials accusing him of selling five homemade assault rifles, a homemade handgun, and two large-capacity magazines.

After making the traffic stop, officials said that police searched Palumbo's vehicle, his home in Columbia, and a barbershop in Netcong. Officers seized two homemade AR-platformed rifles and dozens of additional firearms, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition, three silencers, and numerous components used to make the ghost guns.

A woman was also charged with child neglect, as there were children living in their shared home where "an abundance of unsecured firearms and ammunition were located," officials said.

Palumbo pleaded guilty to four of the charges against him on May 20, prosecutors said: Two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of an assault firearm, and two counts of third-degree possession of a firearm without a serial number.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 42 months in prison, the prosecutor's office said.