A Newark NJ man was arrested after police officers reportedly found a handgun and illegal drugs at his residence while responding to a fire.
The Newark Police Department dispatched police officers and firefighters to a home located on 2nd Avenue in Newark New Jersey when someone dialed 911 around 11:00 p.m. to report smoke coming from the apartment. When Newark NJ cops got to the apartment, they found the suspect sleeping in a bedroom.
Police officers also noticed that the suspect was sleeping next to a handgun, firearm ammunition, heroin, and cocaine.
Remarkably, the suspect was completely unaware of the fire when law enforcement and emergency personnel entered the apartment.
As a result of the illegal weapon and narcotics allegedly found in the apartment, law enforcement placed the suspect under arrest. The 22-year-old suspect has been charged with multiple crimes, including unlawful possession of a weapon, possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Newark NJ authorities later determined that the fire was started by a burning pot perched atop a stove inside the residence. Additionally Newark investigators learned that the handgun recovered at the residence had been reported stolen out of Florida.
Thankfully, no one sustained any injuries as a result of the Newark apartment fire.
For more information about this case, access the NJ.com article, “Man Arrested after Sleeping through Fire with Gun, Drugs Next to Him, Police Say.”