Following a New Jersey man's shameless Facebook posts, police this week discovered a large cache of illegal guns, knives and explosives hidden inside the suspect's home on a quiet suburban block. did.
Kyle Arena, 35, of Totowa, New Jersey, stole a rifle, a handgun, dozens of knives, a Ninja Star, brass knuckles, 129 fully loaded illegal high-capacity magazines and thousands of rounds in a raid on a home on Tuesday. He was arrested on firearm and weapons charges. Totowa police said they also found ammunition and four explosive devices.
An anonymous tipster alerted police to Arena's social media posts and suspected firearm possession, so investigators didn't have to look beyond his Facebook page to find possible causes.
Authorities said Arena had a habit of firing guns online and “posting questionable content to various Facebook groups.”
In one post, he pointed a gun at people driving by. Police said he shared photos of illegal items, including silencers, in other posts.
In another photo, Arena is seen wearing square black-rimmed glasses and holding a rifle, pretending to aim at an invisible target.
The emailed tip included a screenshot of a post on Arena's Facebook group Referred to as “Meal Team 6.1 mid-tier main group”, According to authorities. This private group of gun enthusiasts has 14,500 members.
'Meal Team 6.1 Mid-Tier Main Group' has a number of rules posted on their homepage, including 'no FB reporting options' and face removal. The rules encourage members to avoid Facebook content moderators for fear that their interference in private groups will result in complete shutdown.
Due to extensive evidence from his social posts, Totowa police were issued a search and seizure warrant by a judge called a “temporary extreme risk protection order” to search the Lincoln Street home where Arena lives with his parents. .
Police said investigators discovered a large cache of weapons hidden in a wandering area inside the home, and a bomb-sniffing dog found four explosive devices.
Neighboring residents told ABC7 They could not believe that one of their neighbors had a stockpile of deadly weapons.
“I was shocked,” Ciro Abdondanza told the station. “I never expected something so big to happen in Totowa.”
“I couldn't believe it,” Carmine Cifalvy added. “That's really crazy. Is he going to start his own army or something?”
Officers seized all items and arrested Alina without incident. He is in the custody of the Passaic County Sheriff's Office and faces multiple illegal firearms charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The suspect's 66-year-old father, Felix Arena, was also detained during the search. He was charged with disorderly conduct, terroristic threats and resisting arrest.
