Nearly 100 cars and as many as 200 people swarmed Clifton streets early Sunday in a chaotic street racing takeover that ended with two Monmouth Junction men facing gun charges, according to Clifton police. Officers found the intersection of River Road and Entin Road deliberately blocked so drivers could perform reckless stunts in front of a crowd, many of whom had covered their faces and stripped their license plates before fleeing the scene.
The takeover unfolded in the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 11, after police began receiving reports of vehicles blocking roads near River Road and Route 21, as reported by Daily Voice. When officers arrived, they discovered that the intersection of River Road and Entin Road had been intentionally blocked, clearing space for drivers to race and perform reckless maneuvers while the crowd watched. Crowd members wore face coverings and many of the vehicles present had their license plates covered or removed entirely, according to the outlet's report.
Crowd Scatters, Creating Danger for Other Drivers
Once police moved in, the scene turned chaotic. People ran back to their vehicles and sped off in different directions, a scramble that police say created dangerous conditions for other motorists still on the road. The response was large enough that Clifton police called in backup from Passaic, Nutley, and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office to help bring the situation under control.
It was during that response that a Passaic police officer came across two men wearing ski masks standing beside a blue Infiniti that held three other men inside. Police identified the two men outside the vehicle as 21-year-old Khiri Summers and 22-year-old Erick Mendez, both of Monmouth Junction. According to the same account, the pair was found in possession of a Taurus 9mm handgun along with a magazine that exceeded New Jersey's legal capacity limit.
Handgun and Magazine Charges Carry Steep Penalties
Summers and Mendez were each charged with unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a high-capacity magazine, then transferred to the Passaic County Sheriff's Office Corrections Hub to await their first court appearances.
The magazine charge adds a separate layer of exposure. New Jersey lowered its legal magazine capacity from 15 rounds to 10 in 2018 with no grandfather clause for magazines already owned, per NJ Spotlight News. Possessing a magazine over that limit is classified as a fourth-degree crime under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3(j), punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine as high as $10,000, the Tormey Law Firm notes, and the offense creates a permanent indictable record.
Three Other Men Were Inside the Infiniti
Three other men were inside the Infiniti at the time.
Beyond the two arrests, police detained several other people at the scene and issued multiple summonses, though further details on those citations were not released. A separate statute, N.J.S.A. 39:5C-1, extends liability beyond drivers to anyone who helps set up, organize, or promote an illegal takeover, meaning coordinators who block intersections or direct the crowd can also be targeted.
Detectives are still reviewing evidence gathered from the scene, and Clifton police said additional arrests and summonses are likely as the investigation continues. It remains unclear whether detectives will identify and charge any organizers of the takeover under the state's promotion statute, or how prosecutors will ultimately handle the other men found inside the Infiniti.
