Guns, Hollow Point Bullets Seized And 4 Arrested In Somerset County

FRANKLIN, NJ — Four men were arrested after guns and hollow-point bullets were found during an investigation in Franklin Township.

Jeffrey Grant, 25, of Long Branch, Elijah Crossen, age 20, of Somerset, Qoreon Drew, 18, of Middlesex, and Abusamad Short, 19, of Keansburg, were all charged, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.

On May 5, members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force Street Crimes Unit were conducting a quality-of-life detail in the area of Franklin Boulevard and Baier Avenue in Franklin
Township.

This was being done following reports of firearms activity in the area, according to the Franklin Township Police Department.

During the afternoon of May 5, detectives conducted a stop on a vehicle in the area of Franklin Boulevard and Easton Avenue, where they saw a gun in plain view inside the vehicle near the passenger side door, said McDonald.

A search of the vehicle reportedly found an additional gun and multiple high-capacity magazines.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Jeffrey Grant, and the
passenger of the vehicle, identified as Elijah Crossen, were arrested without incident.

During the stop, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Street Crimes Unit saw numerous people congregating in a parking lot near Franklin Boulevard and Baier Avenue in Franklin Township.

Detectives also reportedly saw a person identified as Abusamad Short alerting the other people that police officers were in the area.

Detectives then reported that they saw a person identified as Qoreon Drew place a backpack under the tire area of a vehicle in the parking lot and then walk away.

As officers approached the crowd, Abusamad Short tried to run away. After a brief foot pursuit, Short was detained by police, said McDonald.

Detectives got the abandoned backpack, which had three firearms, one of which was defaced, inside, said McDonald.

Police took Qoreon Drew into custody and while he was being walked to a patrol car he reportedly tried to run away from the patrol officers while handcuffed.

Drew was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit and taken to the Franklin Township Police Department for processing, said McDonald.

Later that night, a Franklin Township resident told the Franklin Township Police that they had found another gun in the bushes near the scene of the investigation.

This resulted in a total of six firearms recovered and seized from this investigation.

Grant was arrested and charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, three counts of fourth-degree possession of a high-capacity magazine, one count of fourth-degree certain persons not to possess weapons, and two counts of fourth-degree possession of hollow-point ammunition.

Crossen was arrested and charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, three counts of fourth-degree possession of a high-capacity magazine, and one count of fourth-degree possession of hollow-point ammunition.

Drew was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, one count of fourth-degree possession of a defaced firearm, one count of fourth-degree possession of hollow-point ammunition, and one count of fourth-degree resisting arrest by flight.

Short was also arrested and charged with resisting arrest by flight, a disorderly person’s offense.

Grant, Crossen, and Drew were all processed at the Franklin Township Police Department and taken to the Somerset County Jail.

Short was processed and released on a summons complaint pending his court date in this matter.

Grant, Crossen, and Drew had detention hearings in this matter at which Presiding Judge Peter J. Tober determined that Grant and Drew would be detained pending trial and Crossen would be released pending trial in this matter.

Anyone with information relating to this investigation is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or to SCPO.TIPS. All
anonymous STOPit reports, and tips will be kept confidential.

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