Newark Penn Station Arrest: Man Threatened To Shoot Cop, Authorities Say

NEWARK, NJ — Port Authority police pepper sprayed an Essex County man who threatened to take an officer’s gun and shoot her, arresting him after a struggle at Newark Penn Station on Monday evening, authorities said.

According to the Port Authority of NY/NJ, uniformed officers on patrol inside Newark Penn Station around 5:15 p.m. allegedly saw a man manipulate the handicapped turnstile entrance in order to enter the station without paying the fare, then get onto a train.

The officers approached the man – later identified as Elijah F. Myers, 33, of East Orange – and told him to get off the train. At that time, Myers began shouting and refused to leave, at one point threatening to disarm one of the officers and shoot her, police said.

Myers then allegedly “engaged in violent and tumultuous conduct” and began kicking and flailing as the officers tried to remove him from the train, authorities stated.

The officers then pepper sprayed Myers and took him into custody, authorities stated.

While processing Myers, officers found a pipe with suspected cocaine residue in his possession. A computer check showed the suspect had two arrest warrants, one from Newark and the second from East Orange, police said.

Authorities charged Myers with Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Bail Jumping, Disorderly Conduct and Bail Jumping.

Emergency responders treated the officers on the scene, police said.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Wikimedia Commons