Florida man indicted for possession of ‘small arsenal’ of weapons on Amtrak train

TRENTON, N.J. — A Florida man has been indicted in New Jersey after transporting a “small arsenal” of illegal weapons — including an allegedly “booby-trapped” rifle that fired during his arrest — through stations and onto an Amtrak train.

Jeffrey O. Kennerk, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was arrested at the Trenton Transit Center. He faces a long list of charges: possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; four counts of unlawful possession of a weapon; three counts of unlawful possession of an assault firearm; one count of aggravated assault, and one count of certain persons not to have weapons, all second-degree crims. He also faces two counts of unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine, and one count each of possession of hollow-nose ammunition, unlawful possession of a silencer, endangering another person, and causing or risking widespread injury or damage. Those are all fourth-degree crimes.

The second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000; the fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months and a fine of up to $10,000.

“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 Platkin said in a press release. “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.”

The indictments stem from a Jan. 3 incident in which an NJ Transit Police officer found an unattended suitcase adjacent to the entrance to the Newark Subway. After a K9 unit determined there were no explosives, officers found the bag contained a loaded handgun, a loaded AK-47 style rifle, loaded rifle magazines, and boxes of bullets.

A review of video footage showed a man carrying two suitcases who left one behind to go to Amtrak’s ticket window. The individual had boarded an Amtrak train at Newark Penn Station; officers boarded a train at Newark and found the suspect had a valid ticket but was on the wrong train. After he left that train to wait for the correct train, police were notified of a person of interest wanted for weapons possession in Newark and Kennerk was arrested.

A search of Kennerk’s suitcase allegedly found two more rifles, multiple handguns, and more ammunition. One of those rifles had handkerchiefs wrapped around the trigger guard; an officer placed the muzzle of the gun into the suitcase pointed at the ground and attempted to remove one of the handkerchiefs to render it safe, according to the press release, and it discharged without the officer engaging the trigger.

“I am very proud of the NJ Transit Police officers involved in this case,” NJ Transit Police Chief Christopher Trucillo said. “The officers who were on point in observing the unattended luggage in Penn Station, the officers who tracked the suspect’s movements and passed the information to their fellow officers in the Trenton Transit Center; and Transit officers in Trenton who then located and took the suspect in custody. The case did not stop there. NJ Transit detectives, along with investigators from other law enforcement agencies, continued to work the case that eventually led to the suspect’s indictment. The collective actions of law enforcement eliminated the possible carnage that could have been caused by the weapons involved in this case.”