Rookie Wyckoff Cop Takes Loaded Handgun Off The Street

WYCKOFF, NJ - A rookie cop who was on patrol for less than two weeks took an illegal handgun off the street Saturday, police said.

Patrolman Joseph Fullam clocked a speeding vehicle on Monroe Avenue at 11:10 p.m.; when he pulled the vehicle over, he saw the driver reaching under the console, said Chief Benjamin C. Fox.

Fullam smelled marijuana inside the vehicle and Sgt. Daniel Kellogg and Patrolman Robert Schlossberg arrived at the scene, police said.

The driver, Mickel K. Morgan, 22, of Paterson, began arguing with the officers and was patted down for their protection, Fox said.

Police found a fully-loaded .38-caliber handgun in an upper pocket of Morgan’s jacket, Fox said. Police also found a 17-inch long machete that Morgan said he carried for protection, Fox said.

“This traffic stop is an example of the dangers that police officers everywhere face each and every day,” Fox said. “If not for the good work of the officers involved with this, it could have very easily turned into a very bad situation.”

Morgan was charged with possession of a firearm with a purpose to use it unlawfully, possession of a firearm without a permit, and possession of a weapon with the purpose to use it unlawfully.

Morgan’s bail was set at $25,000. He was sent to the Bergen County Jail in default of bail, Fox said.

Mickel K. Morgan, 22/Wyckoff Police Department