A bizarre story out of New Jersey where the marketing director of a local hospital was arrested on charges related to what police are calling a “large cache of weaponry.”
Reuven Alonalayoff, 46, of Elmwood Park was arrested last Sunday after police responded to a bomb threat at Hudson Regional Hospital.
The bomb threat turned out to be a hoax, but while police were searching the premises one of the K9s from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office and Bayonne Police Department “gave a positive indication to unlocked closet within an office,” according to a press release from Secaucus Police Department.
Police then discovered a total of 11 handguns, 27 rifles and shotguns, including a Kriss Vector .45 caliber semi-automatic rifle that authorities “determined to be an assault rifle.”
Police also recovered two “high-capacity magazines,” one of which could hold 14 rounds, which violates the state’s restriction of 10 rounds.
Alonalayoff is now facing charges for possession of an assault firearm, and two counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine.
Authorities nabbed Alonalayoff at Newark Liberty International Airport. He was on his way back from an extended medical trip to Israel, according to Eyewitness News ABC7/NY.
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“The unsecured storage of a large cache of weaponry, especially in this location, certainly creates a risk to public safety,” said Secaucus police chief Dennis Miller in a statement on social media.
“I commend the efforts and professionalism of all the police personnel involved in this investigation and am thankful this situation was resolved without anyone being harmed,” Miller continued.
If convicted on all charges, Alonalayoff could face up to 10 years behind bars plus fines.
Police did not say whether Alonalayoff had a criminal past nor did they indicate whether he was planning anything nefarious.
Alonalayoff’s office door was locked. However, the closet where the weapons were found was not.
“The presence of weapons in a hospital is inexcusable beyond comprehension and contradicts our mission of care,” said Hudson Regional Hospital in a statement.
Stay tuned for updates as we’ve heard the official police narrative. We have yet to hear Mr. Alonalayoff’s side of the story.