On August 21, 2022, at 12:02 A.M., Secaucus Police Officer Salvatore Manente Jr. was on patrol on Blondel Drive when he noticed a parked Penske moving truck with two males sitting in it. The truck did not have any license plates affixed to it. Police Officer Manente approached the truck to further investigate and the driver, identified as Fabian D. Soto, 30, of New York, NY handed Police Officer Manente a Virginia license plate.
A check of the registration revealed that the truck was reported stolen out of Cobb County, GA. Fabian D. Soto and the passenger identified as Fatah Iarkane, 23 of Secaucus, were arrested. Police Officer Justin Machno searched the cab of the stolen truck and found a loaded 9mm handgun along with a single .357 caliber hollow point round of ammunition. Upon inspecting the handgun, it was discovered that it was not a firearm manufactured by any one company and was classified as a “Ghost Gun,” since the gun parts are assembled into a functioning firearm assembled from gun parts without serial numbers.
“I want to praise the ongoing proactive efforts of the Secaucus Police Department’s night tour and its supervisors,” Chief Dennis Miller said. “This arrest in a residential neighborhood is another example of how this police department is committed to proactive policing and will continue to probe suspicious activity, even while our residents are asleep, to ensure they are safe and their property is protected.”
Fabian D. Soto and Fatah Iarkane were both charged with Receiving Stolen Property [2C:20-7], Unlawful Possession of a Handgun [2C:39-5b], Possession of Hollow Point Ammunition [2C:39-3f], Possession of Handgun Ammunition [2C:58-3.3b] and Transporting a Defaced Firearm [2C:39-9n]. Fabian D. Soto was also charged with Certain Persons Not to Possess a Firearm [2C:39-7B]. Fatah Iarkane had a warrant from Woodbridge with a bail of $1,000.00 and two from Secaucus with bails of $200.00 and $100.00, respectively. They were lodged in the Hudson County Jail. These charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
