Crime & Safety
Deadly Weapons Cache Seized, NJ Father And Son Charged After Tipster Alerts Police
A tipster included screen shots an online gun enthusiast group, which led police to a weapons cache hidden in a crawl space, officials said.
TOTOWA, NJ — A Totowa father and son have been charged after officials uncovered a stash of illegal firearms and explosives in their home, borough police said Thursday.
Authorities say they seized a "large cache" of weapons, which were hidden in a crawl space, after an email tip came in "that a resident had been engaging in reckless activities with firearms."
The tipster sent screen shots from a Facebook group for gun enthusiasts and a photo of the resident, identified as 35-year-old Kyle Arena, "pointing a gun out the window while driving a car." The tipster said that Arena had been posting "questionable content" in several groups, also including photos of illegal items such as silencers, according to borough police.
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Police began an investigation and searched through the online gun group to verify the tip, and gathered enough evidence to support a search and seizure warrant, said Chief Carmen Veneziano in a news release. On Tuesday, Totowa officers, along with the Passaic County Sheriff's bomb units and Emergency Response Team, searched the Lincoln Avenue home where Arena lives with his parents.
"The search of the home uncovered a large cache of illegal firearms hidden in a crawl space, 129 fully-loaded illegal high-capacity magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunitions, several illegal sharp-edged weapons, ballistic body armor, a helmet, and parts used to build and alter firearms," officials said, adding that they also seized four explosive devices.
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Kyle Arena was arrested and faces multiple firearms and weapons violations, police said. The Passaic County Sheriff's Office took him into custody after he was processed at Totowa Police.
During the execution of the search warrant, police also arrested his father, 66-year-old Felix Arena, on charges of disorderly conduct, terroristic threats, and resisting arrest. Officials said he was released from custody pending his first court appearance.
Read the full police statement in the post embedded below, or click here to see it on Facebook:
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