Totowa Man Remains Detained After Police Uncover Illegal Weapons Cache

Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 6:55 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

TOTOWA, NJ.- On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, following a swift-moving investigation by members of the Totowa Police Department with the assistance of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, a 35-year-old Totowa, New Jersey man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged with multiple firearms charges.

     According to Totowa Police Chief Carmen Veneziano, on Tuesday, members of the Totowa Police Department acted on an anonymous tip that a local resident had been engaging in reckless activities with a variety of firearms and allegedly had a history of posting questionable content on numerous Facebook groups, including pointing guns at people while driving and photos of illegal items such as silencers. 

     The anonymous tip was sent via email to the Police Department, which identified the Totowa resident as Kyle Arena, 35, and the email included screenshots and comments from posts in a Facebook gun enthusiast group as well as a photo of a person pointing a gun out the window of a car.

Investigation By Totowa Police Department

     The investigation began when Detectives began conducting a background and firearms check on Arena and searched the Facebook gun group “Meal Team 6.1 Mid-Tier Main Group” in an effort to corroborate the information from the anonymous tip.

     Detectives and Police Officers gathered enough probable cause to request that a Judge grant a (TERPO) Temporary Extreme Risk Protection Order. The TERPO granted the Police Department the right to search for and temporarily seize all firearms, ammunition, and other weapons deemed dangerous, including knives and any other sharp-edged armaments, from Arena’s residence at 230 Lincoln Avenue in the Borough of Totowa.

     Shortly after receiving the Temporary Extreme Risk Protection Order, members of the Totowa Police Department, with the assistance of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Response Team and Bomb Units, executed a search warrant on Arena’s home where he lives with his parents.

     During the search, Police uncovered a large cache of illegal firearms hidden in a crawl space, 129 fully loaded illegal high-capacity magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition, several illegal sharp-edged weapons, ballistic body armor, a helmet, and numerous parts to build and alter firearms. The Passaic County Sherrif’s Department Bomb Unit recovered four explosive devices, which were uncovered by a bomb-sniffing K9.

     Following the search, Kyle Arena was taken into custody without incident and charged with multiple firearms and weapons offenses. After being processed on the charges, Arena was remanded to the custody of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department pending a first appearance and detention hearing, which will be heard in Passaic County Superior Court.

     During the execution of the search warrant, Felix Arena, 66, Kyle’s father, was taken into custody for Disorderly Conduct; Terroristic Threats; and Resisting Arrest. Felix Arena was processed on the charges and released on a complaint summons pending his first appearance.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”