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Trio Caught With Arsenal Outside Holland Tunnel Were Trying To 'Extract' Scared Teen From Brooklyn
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 22, 2016
Modified Jun 22, 2016
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 22, 2016
Modified Jun 22, 2016
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The three people arrested right before heading through Holland Tunnel with a cache of weapons Tuesday morning say there were trying to rescue a teen girl from an allegedly drug-filled apartment. The weapons found in a black-and-lime green SUV included "a pump action shotgun with a pistol grip and collapsible stock; an SAR-98 Salamander Arms assault rifle; seven clips of ammunition for the rifle; four 9mm pistols; and a .45 caliber pistol with several magazines" plus "a Kevlar bullet resistant helmet with camouflage cover; tactical goggles; night-vision goggles; and body armor."
At 7:40 a.m. yesterday, Port Authority Police Officer John Basil noticed a cracked windshield on the SUV and pulled over the extremely conspicuous vehicle when it was on the NJ side of the Holland Tunnel. "He saw a loaded magazine for a gun and ordered everyone out," according to the Daily News. When driver Dean Smith, 53, got out, Officer Basil spotted the .45.
A search of the vehicle turned up the arsenal. The NY Post reports that officers found a bullet clip in the SUV that says 'Merica.
The other man in the car, John Cramsey, 50, is a gun dealer and anti-heroin activist from Pennsylvania; his anti-heroin stance was spurred on after his daughter's recent fatal heroin overdose. Cramsey wrote on his Facebook page at 1 a.m., "Today is the day that marks the 4 Month Anniversary of the loss of my sweet baby girl... I have been fighting the Demon that stole you from me with everything I got .... How can one person possibly cry so much without just drying up the tear ducts forever ?"
Then, at 7:13 a.m., he posted:
I'm currently 11 miles outside of Brooklyn New York and going to a hotel to extract a 16 year old girl who went up there to Party with a few friends. One of those friends she went up there with will not be returning . This young lady from Wilkes Barre is scared and wants to come home. Last night she woke to find her friends body next to her in the same bed were her friend died of another heroin overdose. The Child named Janaee Patterson and she is from the Wilkes Barre area. A Facebook message to the Mother and the Brother with no response yet. I'm bringing her out of NY today and anybody else in that hotel that wants to go home too . Lyn Baker I am with your friend Kimberly Anne Walker and we we are now 9 miles out . She accepted your friend request. I will keep you posted as soon as I got some news.
Hey everybody !
Who remembers the Beastie Boys ....
NO ....SLEEP ....TILL BROOKLYN !
ENOUGH is ENOUGH !
Coming to a Town near YOU SOON !
The News adds, "When cops tracked down the teen the suspects claimed they were headed to rescue, the girl told police she didn’t want to be saved, sources said. Port Authority cops couldn’t verify the teen was ever in trouble."
Kimberly Arendt, 29, the third person in the car, was also arrested. The three face charges including weapons possession, possession of high-capacity magazines, transport of an assault firearm and pot possession.
Cramsey with his SUV and an "Enough is Enough" banner; he belongs to an "Enough is Enough" FB group that explains, "We are a group of people who have felt both the pain of losing a Loved One or have survived an addiction or supported someone who has and are now Sounding Out to say Enough is Enough."
A man who was in a holding cell with Cramsey and Smith told the Post that the "men claimed the weapons were only in the car for a photo shoot from the day before and they didn’t have time to unload them."
Cramsey's supporters have been responding to Cramsey's Facebook with explanations— "They were stopped for a cracked windshield (according to WFMZ) and when they searched the vehicle, found loaded guns. He simply forgot they were there (he's a gun dealer, so that makes sense). Unfortunately for him, the port authority did, and NY isn't as liberal on gun laws as PA. Hopefully things will work out"—and ideas on how to help him—"Ugh I feel really bad about, because John has done so much in our community to help people. My heart goes out to all three. I hope we can do something to help these guys by possibly writing letters of character to the judge?"
One of his friends told WCBS 2, "Ever since his daughter died, I think it was one of those things where he wishes he could have done something to save her, and now that she’s gone, he feels this guilt in his heart that he needs to help other people."
Tagged
arsenal
dean smith
heroin overdose
holland tunnel
john cramsey
kimberly arendt
port authority
weapons cache
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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