Police Find .40-Caliber Handgun In Car At Mahwah Restaurant

MAHWAH, N.J. — A man was arrested after police found a handgun in the back of a car at The Mason Jar Monday night, said Chief James Batelli.

Police received an anonymous call at about 6 p.m. that a silver Mercury was traveling to the restaurant and that one of the occupants may have had a handgun in his or her possession, Batelli said.

Several officers found the vehicle in the parking lot and the four people inside the car, two men and two women, admitted they had a weapon inside the car, the chief said.

Police found a .40-caliber Glock 23 from behind the driver’s seat; the gun was reported lost from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, Batelli said.

The chief said that based on their investigation, police believe that the people in the car were at the restaurant to meet other people to resolve a dispute that occurred over the weekend.

“There was no intent to actually go in the restaurant,” Batelli said.

Police learned that Michael Debiasi, 32, of Oakland, did not have a permit to carry the gun, Batelli said, and had never even applied for one.

Debiasi was charged with possession of handgun without first obtaining a permit to carry, police said. Bail was set at $50,000 with no 10 percent option. Debiasi was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail.

Detective Eric Larsen is continuing to investigate the matter.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Michael Debiasi, 32, of Oakland