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A Florida man has been indicted in Trenton, New Jersey, following allegations that he boarded an Amtrak train carrying a significant cache of weapons. JEFFREY O. KENNERK, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was apprehended on January 3 after authorities discovered an array of firearms and ammunition in his possession, including assault weapons, large-capacity magazines, handguns, silencers, and a booby-trapped rifle that discharged during his arrest at the Trenton Transit Center. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, led by MATTHEW PLATKIN, announced the indictment on April 16.
Platkin stated, “This defendant allegedly hauled a small arsenal of deadly weapons and ammunition through busy transit stations and on a train filled with passengers. He 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. If not for the outstanding police work in this matter, we can only imagine where this defendant and these weapons would have ended up.”
The incident began when a New Jersey Transit Police officer was alerted to an unattended black-and-white zebra-print suitcase near the entrance to the Newark subway. Upon investigation, authorities found a handgun with a fully loaded 18-round magazine, an AR-style magazine loaded with .223 ammunition, and a plastic bag containing two boxes of 9mm ammunition and four boxes of .223 ammunition. A secondary compartment in the bag allegedly contained a loaded Zastava Arms AK-47-style rifle and several additional fully loaded magazines.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Kennerk briefly abandoned the bag to purchase an Amtrak ticket to Virginia. He boarded the train in Newark but was intercepted by law enforcement at the next stop in Trenton. During his arrest, authorities discovered additional weapons and ammunition, including an AR-15-style rifle separated into its lower and upper receiver, multiple caches of ammunition, extended magazines, and handguns. They also recovered a rifle loaded with .300 AAC Blackout ammunition.
The Attorney General’s Office revealed that one of the firearms was booby-trapped. “The officer placed the muzzle into the suitcase pointed at the ground and attempted to remove one of the handkerchiefs to render it safe, at which time the firearm discharged without the officer engaging the trigger,” the office stated. Authorities also found four silencers and hollow-point ammunition in both 9mm and .22 long rifle calibers.
Kennerk faces multiple charges, including 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, aggravated assault, and certain persons not to have weapons—all second-degree crimes. He was also charged with several fourth-degree crimes, such as unlawful possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines, hollow-point ammunition, and a silencer, as well as endangering another person and causing or risking widespread injury or damage.
Fox News Digital reached out to Platkin’s office and Kennerk’s attorney, DOMINIC CERRITO, for comment.
[Sources: New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Fox News Digital]
