Colonia Man Pulled Out Gun During Car Meet-Up In Rutgers Parking Lot, Police Say

PISCATAWAY, NJ — Rutgers Police say a Colonia man brought a gun to an illegal car meet-up in a Rutgers parking lot, and pointed the gun at people.

The illegal car meet-up took place Feb. 20, a Friday night, in one of the parking lots on Rutgers' Piscataway campus.

Dozens of cars converged in the Yellow Lot off Rockefeller Road that evening.

Witnesses say a young man pulled a firearm from the trunk of a tan Toyota Camry and pointed it at them. He did not fire the gun during the incident. Patch reported on the incident last month: Someone Pulls Gun In Street Racing Meet-Up On Rutgers Campus

The Toyota Camry then fled the area, along with a white Nissan 370, and nobody was injured.

Sean Benedicks, 20, from Colonia, was identified as the suspect who pulled out the gun, said Rutgers University Police. He was arrested last Wednesday, March 25 and charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a firearm on school grounds.

Car meet-ups and illegal street racing are happening more frequently across New Jersey:

People Shoot Fireworks At Police, Climb On Top Of Squad Cars As Cops Break Up Street Racing August 2025 in Secaucus

Mother, Son Tried To Flee Country After Fatal Drag Racing Crash On Parkway August 2025 Young men were drag racing on the Parkway through Woodbridge last summer when a young man involved in the racing was killed in a crash. The driver, 20, and his mother Vilma Vneshta, 42, originally from Albania, were later arrested in Miami trying to flee the country.

1 Arrest In Street Takeover Of Victory Bridge 2024 in Perth Amboy. The crowd size was 300 people on the bridge while street racing occurred over the bridge.

4 Arrested In 100-Person Hillsborough Street Takeover 2023 in Somerset County

2 Men Killed in Raritan River Crash Were Drag Racing, Family Says 2016 in New Brunswick. Teens and young men were drag racing on Rt. 18. One car lost control and plunged into the Raritan River and two young men inside died.