Man Arrested With Loaded Handgun After Hitting Empty Cop Car In Mercer County: Prosecutor

A Mercer County man has been arrested and a loaded handgun was seized following a month-long drug investigation, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said.

Alex Orozco, 39, of Trenton, was the target of the investigation. He was stopped in the area of Hamilton Avenue and South Broad Street in Trenton on Friday, Aug. 11. Police said he attempted to flee when he crashed his 2003 Jeep Liberty into an unoccupied police car.

When police pulled him from the car, they claim he attempted to discard a loaded, .22 caliber handgun from his waistband area. He was arrested after a brief struggle, police said.

During an ensuing search of the Jeep, police said they found a loaded, six shot, .22 caliber H&R revolver and an amount of marijuana under 50 grams. They also searched his home, where they said they found a digital scale and packaging materials.

Orozco is charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a handgun, certain persons not to possess a handgun and resisting arrest. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to have him detained.

Officers with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the New Jersey State Police K-9 Unit, and the Hamilton and Trenton police, under the command of the prosecutor’s Special Investigations Unit, conducted the investigation and made the arrest.

The attached image of Alex Orozco was provided by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office