Guns, Hollow-Points Seized; Four Arrested
- Franklin Township detectives arrested Jeffrey Grant, Elijah Crossen, Qoreon Drew, and Abusamad Short after a May 5 gun investigation near Franklin Boulevard. - Investigators say they recovered six firearms total — including a defaced gun — plus high-capacity magazines and hollow-point ammunition after a stop and foot chases. - The case grew from resident reports of gun activity, then turned into a broader weapons sweep with detention orders for two defendants.
Guns were the center of this one from the start. Franklin Township police and Somerset County detectives were already out on a targeted patrol after reports of firearms activity in one neighborhood. Then a traffic stop, a backpack, and a resident’s later tip turned that patrol into a six-gun seizure and four arrests. The big thing to understand is that this was not one isolated find — investigators say they kept uncovering more weapons as the scene expanded. ### What kicked this off? The investigation started on May 5, 2026, during what authorities called a quality-of-life detail near Franklin Boulevard and Baier Avenue in Franklin Township. That detail was set up because police had gotten recent reports of firearms activity in the area. So this was already a focused response to a neighborhood problem, not a random patrol that happened to get lucky. ### What happened at the traffic stop? (franklintwpnj.org) Detectives stopped a vehicle near Franklin Boulevard and Easton Avenue after spotting a firearm in plain view near the passenger-side door, investigators say. They then got a Superior Court search warrant for the vehicle and say they found another gun and multiple high-capacity magazines inside. The two men in that vehicle — Jeffrey Grant, 25, of Long Branch, and Elijah Crossen, 20, of Somerset — were arrested there. ### How did it turn into a bigger bust? While that stop was happening, detectives nearby saw a group gathered in a parking lot. Investigators say Abusamad Short, 19, of Keansburg, warned others that police were there, and Qoreon Drew, 18, of Middlesex, put a backpack under a parked vehicle and walked away. Police searched that backpack and say they found three more firearms, including one defaced weapon. Basically, the case split into two scenes at once — the car and the parking lot. (franklintwpnj.org) ### Where did the sixth gun come from? Later that same evening, a Franklin Township resident reported finding another firearm hidden in bushes near the investigation area. That brought the total number of recovered guns to six. That detail matters because it suggests the weapons were not all neatly contained in one car or one bag — officers were still finding evidence after the initial arrests. (franklintwpnj.org) ### Who got charged with what? Grant, Crossen, and Drew were all hit with weapons charges. Investigators say those counts include unlawful possession of firearms, possession of high-capacity magazines, and hollow-point ammunition charges. Drew also faces a defaced-firearm charge. Short was charged with resisting arrest by flight rather than weapons possession. ### Why do the hollow-point and defaced-gun details matter? (wrnjradio.com) Those details raise the stakes fast. Hollow-point ammunition is tightly regulated in New Jersey, and a defaced firearm creates an obvious tracing problem for investigators. Add in the high-capacity magazine allegations, and this stops looking like a simple unlawful-possession case and starts looking like the kind of package prosecutors use to argue for detention. That seems to be what happened here — Grant and Drew were ordered detained pending trial, while Crossen was released pending court proceedings. ### Was anyone accused of running? Yes. Investigators say Short tried to flee on foot and was caught after a brief chase. They also say Drew later ran while handcuffed and was apprehended after another foot pursuit. Those details do not change the core weapons case, but they help explain why the situation escalated from a patrol detail into a bigger, messier enforcement scene. (wrnjradio.com) ### Bottom line What looked like a neighborhood gun-activity complaint turned into a multi-part weapons case with six firearms recovered, four arrests, and charges that go beyond simple possession. The catch is that the legal case still has to play out. But on the law-enforcement side, the message is pretty clear — a targeted patrol in one Franklin Township corridor uncovered a lot more than a single gun. (franklintwpnj.org) (wrnjradio.com)
