A state grand jury has indicted a Florida man on charges he boarded an Amtrak train in New Jersey earlier this year with luggage full of guns and ammunition - one which fired when being unloaded by police.
The indictment charges Jeffrey O. Kennerk, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, with several second-degree crimes — four counts of unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing a firearm for an unlawful purpose, aggravated assault, possessing a weapon as a felon, and three counts of unlawfully possessing an assault firearm, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The indictment also charges him with several fourth-degree crimes related to the possession of ammunition, magazines and silencers.
State investigators had alleged that Kennerk took an Amtrak train from Newark Penn Station to the Trenton Transit Center on Jan. 3 of this year with a suitcase that contained and AR-15 rifle among other firearm accessories.
It all started when NJ Transit Police saw an unattended suitcase near a McDonalds restaurant at Newark Penn Station. A search of the luggage found that it contained a partially loaded AK-47-style rifle, a fully loaded handgun, multiple loaded magazines, as well as a plastic bag and several boxes filled with bullets, officials said.
A review of surveillance cameras revealed that a man, later identified as Kennerk, was carrying two suitcases and left one of them near the McDonalds before visiting the Amtrak ticket window and boarding a train to Virginia, authorities said.
“This defendant allegedly hauled a small arsenal of deadly weapons and ammunition through busy transit stations, and on a train filled with passengers,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. “He allegedly left a suitcase containing assorted weapons and ammunition – including an assault rifle – in the concourse of Newark Penn Station, where anyone could have been harmed by them. If not for the outstanding police work done in this matter, we can only imagine where this defendant and these weapons would have ended up.”
When the train was making a stop in Trenton, two NJ Transit Police officers boarded and asked to see Kennerk’s ticket. He then presented an incorrect ticket and explained that he had boarded the wrong train. The officers instructed him to exit the train and wait for the proper one.
As Kennerk was waiting on the platform, transit police in Trenton received a tip about the Newark incident and apprehend him. While searching the one suitcase that was still in his possession, officers found two rifles, including an AR-15, a handgun and various different types of ammunition and silencers, authorities said.
One of the rifles appeared to be booby-trapped, with handkerchiefs wrapped around the trigger. An officer placed a muzzle in the suitcase while attempting to remove the handkerchiefs, which resulted in the rifle firing, prosecutors said.
Stories by Nicolas Fernandes
- N.J. investment firm owner admits he spent more than 35 years duping investors of $7M
- Jury convicts N.J. man of Fourth of July weekend double murder
- Owner of N.J. companies admits obtaining $3M in fraudulent COVID relief
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
