Crime & Safety

14 Charged After Guns, Ammo Found On Party Bus In Mercer County

Authorities stopped the bus in Hamilton Township on Oct. 30, State Police said. Fourteen people were arrested.

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – Authorities seized six guns, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, and arrested 14 people after an investigation led detectives to a party bus traveling through Mercer County, New Jersey State Police said.

Detectives with the Crime Suppression Central Unit learned that a party bus carrying many occupants in possession of weapons was traveling through Mercer County and that it would return to the Trenton area via Interstate 195, state police said.

On Oct. 31, at 3:30 a.m., detectives with the Crime Suppression Unit and Opioid Enforcement Task Force along with officers the Trenton Police Department and Hamilton Police Department located and stopped the bus on Interstate 195 in Hamilton Township, police said.

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When detectives approached the bus, they said occupants attempted to conceal several weapons within the bus. Fourteen occupants of the bus were taken into custody, police said.

As a result of the investigation, detectives recovered three 9mm handguns, including two ghost guns, a .45 caliber handgun, a .40 caliber handgun, a .380 caliber handgun, three high-capacity magazines, hollow-point ammunition and promethazine, suspected codeine syrup, authorities said.

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A ghost gun is a firearm that is assembled from various parts that are not imprinted with a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer, making them difficult for law enforcement to trace.

The individuals were charged with the following:

Javon McKinney, 22, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Possession of a handgun without a serial number
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine

Maurice Nance, 20, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine

Kena West, 25, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine
  • Possession of hollow-point ammunition

Jahmel Johnson, 24, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine
  • Possession of CDS

Makai Brown, 21, of Atlanta, GA

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine

Jaquan Harper, 20, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine

Zaire Leary, 24, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine
  • Possession of hollow-point ammunition

Daquane McRae, 25, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Obstruction
  • Resisting arrest

Khalil Glanton, 22, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun

Daquan Lewis, 27, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine
  • Possession of hollow-point ammunition

Aaron Turner, 31, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine
  • Possession of hollow-point ammunition

Tahvon Goss, 23, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine
  • Possession of hollow-point ammunition

Harold Ruiz, 22, of Trenton, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Certain persons not to possess a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine

Juvenile female of Ewing, N.J.

  • Unlawful possession of a handgun
  • Possession of a high-capacity magazine

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