A 39-year-old Philadelphia man is facing weapons and assault charges after police say he pulled a loaded handgun on another driver during a road rage confrontation on Route 15 in Jefferson Township. Jefferson Township police identified the driver as Antony Perez, who was taken into custody Tuesday after officers responded to reports of a confrontation on the southbound side of the highway near Lake Hopatcong.
According to nj.com, Jefferson police stopped one of the vehicles involved in the confrontation on Tuesday and found a gun in the passenger area during the stop. Local radio station WRNJ reported that officers confirmed the weapon was loaded when they took Perez into custody. Perez was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful transport of a firearm, and aggravated assault with a weapon, and he was subsequently sent to the Morris County Correctional Facility.
Why New Jersey's Gun Laws Hit Out-of-State Drivers Hard
Perez is identified as a Philadelphia resident. Under New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5, carrying a handgun without a state-issued permit is classified as a second-degree crime, and New Jersey does not recognize concealed-carry permits issued by Pennsylvania. Out-of-state drivers passing through New Jersey often find themselves facing unexpected criminal charges simply because their home-state carry credentials carry no weight once they cross the border.
If convicted, Perez could also face mandatory prison time under New Jersey's Graves Act. Convictions for unlawful handgun possession under N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6 carry mandatory state prison sentences, with a minimum parole ineligibility period typically fixed at 42 months or up to half of the sentence imposed. The aggravated assault charge adds further exposure: causing or attempting to cause injury with a deadly weapon constitutes third-degree aggravated assault under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b), punishable by three to five years in state prison and fines up to $15,000, according to the Law Offices of Joel Silberman.
A Second Road Rage Gun Arrest in the Region
Perez's arrest came more than 24 hours after another gun-involved road rage case rattled the region. Hoodline reported that Joseph LaBarbera, 50, chairman of the Sussex County Republican Committee, was arrested and lodged in the Morris County Jail after allegedly pointing a Sig Sauer handgun at another driver during a road rage confrontation in nearby Stillwater Township. The suspect in that case was also remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility, which serves as the primary adult detention center for Morris County municipalities like Jefferson Township and houses detainees from neighboring Sussex County under a regional shared-services agreement, per the Sussex County Sheriff's Office.
The back-to-back arrests fit into a broader pattern tracked by gun safety researchers. Research has found that road rage shootings doubled between 2018 and 2022. Road-rage gun incidents have also drawn attention in New Jersey.
The Road Rage Incident on Route 15
Route 15 in Jefferson Township is near Lake Hopatcong, where the confrontation occurred. The article focuses on that gun-related confrontation.
Perez was arrested and charged, and neither WRNJ nor nj.com reported additional detail on what precipitated the confrontation on Route 15's southbound lanes near Lake Hopatcong before officers intervened.
