Man Armed With AR-15 Rifle At Wawa In Somerset County Arrested: Prosecutor

MONTGOMERY, NJ — A Skillman man was arrested after a 911 call reported he had an AR-15 rifle at an Wawa in Somerset County this weekend.

Joshua A. Kinney, 27, Skillman, was charged in connection with the incident this past Saturday.

On Oct. 29 at around 3:17 a.m., a 911 call reported that a man, later identified as Kinney, displayed an AR-15 rifle to an employee at the Wawa parking lot on Route 206 in Skillman, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.

Montgomery Township Police Officers got a description of Kinney along with the vehicle he was driving. Kinney had fled from the area in an unknown direction before police arrived, said McDonald.

Two unidentified female customers told officers that they heard what sounded like gunshots as Kinney was leaving the parking lot, said McDonald.

The Somerset County Communications Center was then contacted by a concerned family member of Kinney and investigators were able to ascertain that Kinney was the person who reportedly displayed the rifle, said McDonald.

Montgomery Township Police with the help of Hillsborough Township Police were able to track Kinney to a home on Zion-Wertsville Road in Skillman

Officers established a perimeter of the home and saw that Kinney's vehicle was at the home.

At around 5:20 a.m. Montgomery Township Police requested Somerset County SWAT and the Crisis Negotiations Team.

Montgomery Township Police were able to get Kinney on the phone and get him to exit the home to negotiate with officers.

At around 6:37 a.m., Kinney was taken into custody without incident by Somerset County SWAT officers as he walked away from his home.

With the assistance of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit, Montgomery Township Police were able to find an AR-15 rifle, a handgun, and high-capacity magazines for both weapons in a wooded field off of Spring Hill Road, Skillman. The investigation revealed that this is an area where Kinney crashed his vehicle after leaving the Wawa while driving to his home, said McDonald.

Kinney was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree certain persons not to have weapons or ammunition, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (handgun), fourth-degree possession of a large capacity magazine (2 counts), third-degree possession of a firearm without obtaining a firearms purchaser identification card, third-degree hindering apprehension, fourth-degree obstruction, and fourth-degree interception of official communications.

Kinney was subsequently taken to the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.

McDonald commended all of the first responders involved in the investigation.

Authorities have not released a motive for Kinney’s actions and the incident remains under investigation. No injuries were reported from this incident.

Anyone with information relating to this incident to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office at 908-231-7100 or the Montgomery Township Police Department at 908-359-3222 or via the STOPit app.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

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