A Florida man was indicted Wednesday on multiple weapons counts and aggravated assault and endangerment charges after allegedly transporting an arsenal of illegal firearms, ammunition and explosives through two of New Jersey’s busiest transit hubs, authorities said.
Jeffrey O. Kennerk, aged 34 from Fort Lauderdale, faces accusations after he reportedly left behind a zebra-patterned suitcase containing powerful firearms such as a loaded AK-47-type rifle at Newark Penn Station on January 3rd. Before getting onto an Amtrak heading towards Virginia, law enforcement apprehended him at the Trenton Transit Center just prior to his next intended ride.
The indictment states that Kennerk is charged with possessing weapons for illegal use, three instances of unlawfully owning an assault rifle, four cases of illegally having a weapon, committing aggravated assault, and holding banned items like high-capacity magazines, suppressors, and armor-piercing bullets. Additionally, the document claims that he had a trap gun which accidentally fired when law enforcement attempted to seize it.
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Attorney General Matthew Platkin stated, “This accused individual reportedly transported an extensive collection of lethal weaponry and ammunition across crowded transportation hubs and aboard a train carrying numerous passengers.” He added, “Were it not for the exceptional efforts of law enforcement in this case, one can only speculate as to where this person and those arms might have wound up.”
When police spotted an abandoned bag near a McDonald’s within Newark Penn Station, they removed it as part of their bomb threat protocol. Upon inspection, however, they discovered several guns along with numerous bullets and extra clips. According to officials, security camera recordings were instrumental in identifying Kennerk; he was subsequently located and arrested by law enforcement at the Trenton Transit Center.
When they searched his second suitcase, officials supposedly discovered extra weaponry such as a disassembled AR-15-type rifle, pistols, numerous suppressors, hollow-point rounds, and a rifle rigged with a trip mechanism involving a handkerchief-wrapped trigger which accidentally fired when being handled.
This situation underscores the vital necessity for robust cooperation among law enforcement agencies,” stated Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa Hilton. “The weapons confiscated in this case were unlawful and posed a significant danger to community safety.
If found guilty, Kennerk could be sentenced to as many as 10 years behind bars for every second-degree crime and up to 18 months for each fourth-degree charge.
Deputy Attorney General Karen Braciszewski from the Major Threats Bureau is leading the prosecution of this case. She is working under the oversight of Deputy Chiefs Matthew Bernal and Veronica Daddario as well as Chief Cassandra Montalto.
The article initially appeared on NorthJersey.com.
A Florida man has been charged with bringing firearms onto an Amtrak train in New Jersey.
