Weapons found in Queens traffic stop spark terrorism investigation: sources

Mira Wassef, Nicole Johnson and Anthony DiLorenzo

14 hours ago

QUEENS, NY (PIX11) – Authorities are investigating a possible terrorist plot after a man was found with multiple weapons during a traffic stop in Queens on Wednesday, according to the New York Police Department.

Judd Sanson, 27, was arrested after officers found a mask, a ballistic vest with NYPD written on it, knives, two axes, handcuffs, a machete, ammunition, an MTA vest, a pistol and a hatchet in a black Ford Explorer near 86th. Street and Ditmars Boulevard around 1:30 a.m., according to sources and police.

Officers were patrolling the area in an unmarked car when they spotted the ghost car with a blacked-out license plate, authorities said. Officers searched the truck and also recovered nine loaded magazines, heavy body armor, a stun gun, several knives and a weighted whip. There were also written messages in the vehicle, police said.

“He was heavily armed…very dangerous to our community,” New York Police Department Chief Jeffrey Madrey said.

The New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and other law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, sources said.

“It’s too early to say (if it’s a terrorist threat),” Maddrey said.

Sanson was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, nine counts of criminal possession of a weapon, four counts of ammunition feeding device and obscuring a plate, the police said. police. The suspect has already been arrested for graffiti.

The investigation is ongoing.

Authorities said 683 ghost cars were seized this year.

Mira Wassef is a digital journalist who has covered news and sports in the New York area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.